Lady Boss
by deepwater1978
Summary: She hated his guts in college. She thought he was an over privileged, womanizing man-whore. He thought she was an uptight, stuck-up bitch. And, now, she was telling him how to run his company. He had worked hard and paid his dues to get to where he was, and she was not taking it from him. She was about to learn the hard way that he was the only boss around here.
1. Chapter 1

"Good morning, Mr Salvatore."

April, the new receptionist's voice danced across the lobby from her spot at the reception desk. Damon could see her legs under the desk. Her skirt had run up her thighs, and she was wearing stockings.

He knew this little show was for his benefit. Like it had been every day since she started. A different seduction technique, but it had not escaped his radar that April had wanted to get his attention.

Of course she did. Damon Salvatore was hot and rich. And he was also the boss. And the soon-to-be CEO of his family's company, Lady Boss, when his father, Giuseppe Salvatore retired and handed the reins over to his eldest son.

Lady Boss was one of the top women fashion brands in the city. 'Think like a woman, act like a boss' was the slogan for the company for many years, and Lady Boss worked on women of all ages and would never go out of style. From chic and sleek to classy and elegance, Lady Boss was all about style, sophistication and finesse.

Damon had the best job in the world.

"Good morning, Aril." He gave her a brief, pleasant smile. Not the smile he knew he could get women into bed or on their knees for him in minutes.

No flirting back with April because she worked for him.

Damon never slept with his staff.

That was his rule.

He didn't want or need the complications that sleeping with an employee would bring.

Aside from leaving himself wide open for a lawsuit and that his mother would kill him, Damon couldn't deal with the drama and tears when she clued in to the fact that all he wanted from her was sex.

Even though he would have repeatedly told her that it was a one-time thing.

That was also his rule: _Always make it clear that hook-ups are just that. No strings attached._

In addition, he would never let them know where he lived, work, or his phone number just in case the above rule didn't stick.

Damon pressed the call button for the elevator, and the door opened immediately. He got on and hit the button for the fourteenth floor where his office was.

He loved this building. It was home to him. Everyone here was like family. His parents liked to run a happy ship, and they treated their employees very well. His folks were well loved. They were the best. He knew everyone here was sad to see them retire. There were a lot of tears the day it was announced.

Honestly, it would be weird for Damon, being here and running this place without them.

But he was excited, too. This was what he had been working towards his whole life.

The elevator arrived on his floor, and Damon stepped out when the door opened. He walked through the lobby and towards the executive offices, and then he pushed open the door to his office area.

His PA, Rose, was already at her desk.

Rose lifted her head from her screen. "Morning, Damon." She picked up his takeout coffee from her desk, which she brought in for him every day, and held it out.

She was the best PA ever. Damon was lucky to have her.

"Thanks." He took the coffee and had a sip. "You look great today."

Rose smiled at him. "Thanks. Did you have a good weekend?"

"Of course."

Damon loved his job, but weekends were reserved solely for playtime, and he loved playing.

Friday night was spent with Andie Starr, a supermodel he had met at a show a few weeks ago. Saturday night was boys' night out with his buddies, Enzo and Alaric. Damon, Enzo and Alaric had been boyhood friends, had gone through twelve grades virtually inseparable, then had roomed together for four years at Harvard University.

Damon knew he was what women considered a real catch. He was smart. And he was rich. Plus he was an extremely handsome man with a height of 5'10' and a well-toned body. With striking, intense blue eyes contrasting wonderfully against dark lashes and eyebrows, and a "bad boy" smile, everyone in the city had described him as the "eternal stud".

He was in no way ready to settle down with just one woman. He didn't have anything against relationships per se. He just didn't want one.

Well, not at the moment anyway.

And to be honest, most of the women who crossed his path were less stimulating—both intellectually and physically. Most of them only had great bodies and incredible legs.

Damon loved his job despite enjoyed seeing a woman he liked every weekend. Woman was reserved for weekends because the week was for work.

Work always came first, and he didn't see that changing anytime soon. Especially not now that he would be taking over the running of the company from his father.

Maybe, in the distant future—like ten or fifteen years—Damon would meet some girl he wanted to have a relationship with, but if he was being totally honest, he just couldn't see it happening.

"How was yours?" Damon asked Rose. He knew she was going to spend the weekend with her fiancée's parents.

"Yeah, it was okay, but Trevor's mother was talking wedding stuff nonstop all weekend."

She rolled her eyes, and Damon laughed.

"Anyway, I have got this morning's schedule ready for you, but first, your parents are waiting for you in your office."

"They are?" Damon moved his eyes in the direction of his office door.

"Yep."

"How long have they been waiting?"

"Only five minutes or so."

"And they didn't say what they wanted to see me for?"

"Nope."

A mild unease settled in his gut.

Of course, it was not unusual for his parents to turn up in his office unannounced, but first thing in the morning was unusual.

The last time they were waiting in his office for him this early in the morning was seven years ago when Damon was working in the sales department, and he had just screwed up the Mikaelson deal. The big deal that they had trusted him with.

And, by screwed up, Damon meant, he broke Mr Mikaelson's daughter, Rebecca's heart, a few months prior. At that point, Rebecca had blatantly hinting that they ought to get married, Damon had briefly entertained the idea, but the impulse had passed very quickly. He enjoyed Rebecca in bed and out of it, and he liked her style, but he had no intention of marrying her despite they were seeing each other for a few months.

The truth was he had never seriously considered marrying Rebecca because he had never had the violent, possessive, insane need to see and touch and laugh with her, that volcanic passion that controlled him and couldn't be sated. No woman had managed to look up at him and made him feel humbled and powerful at the same time—or ignited that desire to prove that he could be more and better than he was. To marry someone who didn't do that to him was settling for second-best, and second-best in anything wasn't good enough. At the same time, he had absolutely no desire to experience those tormenting, stormy, crushing emotions. If Rebecca had been able to get under his skin, he would have broken off with her as soon as he felt it happening. He didn't want, would never permit himself, to be that vulnerable to anyone.

But the problem was, Rebecca had wanted more than what he could offer, and when Damon put an end to their delightful relationship, she hadn't been so happy at all. In the end, Mikael Mikaelson had decided he no longer was interested in considering stocking the products of Lady Boss in his department stores.

Unfortunately, Giuseppe didn't exactly see it that way.

Damon got reamed out for losing the deal and also a lecture from his mother about how he should be treating women with respect and not trying to sleep his way through the city.

That was seven years ago, and it still bugged Damon that it was the one deal he had messed up. But he didn't let the Mikaelson fiasco put him off. He didn't want a serious relationship. Not at this moment.

Maybe his parents just wanted to talk about the takeover. Giuseppe would be retiring in a few weeks, and Damon would be taking over as CEO.

 _I know what you are thinking. I'm their son, and that's why they are giving me the job._

 _Wrong._

His parents were hard-asses. They might be rich, but they had made Damon worked for everything. His parents came from nothing and built this business together, and they wanted their son to understand that one had to work hard in this life if one wanted anything.

Damon had part-time jobs throughout high school, so long as they didn't interfere with his studies. The only time he didn't work was when he was in college, as his parents wanted him to focus fully on my studies. But every summer was spent here, in the office, working for them—whether it was in the mailroom or on reception. He had worked really hard to learn this business inside out.

He did four years at Harvard University, earning a business degree. And then he went off to Stamford where he got his MBA in management. When he graduated from Stamford, he came back home to Richmond and started working here in sales. He had worked in every department in the company so that he would understand the running of the business for when it was his time to take over.

And now was his time.

"Wish me luck," Damon said to Rose.

"You don't need it, Mr Soon-to-Be CEO." Rose said the last part on a whisper even though no one was around to hear.

When my parents announced their retirement a month ago, it wasn't formally announced that I'd be taking over. Everyone probably already knows though. I mean, it's a given.

That must be why they were in there, waiting—to talk about the big announcement.

Damon didn't get excited about much, but he was excited about this.

With thoughts of his impending CEO status, he opened the door to his office with a big f smile on his face.

"Mum, Dad," he greeted them both.

They were sitting on the black leather sofa. Damon loved his office. It was big with floor-to-ceiling windows, so the view of the city was immense. And he had his own private bathroom, which was always a bonus.

"Damon." Lillian Giuseppe smiled warmly at her son. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. What can I do for you this morning?" Damon asked as he walked the distance over to his desk.

A brief silence hung in the air. That silence made his gut tightened.

Then, Giuseppe said, "We need to have a chat."

Damon sat down. "Okay.".

They turned in their seats to face him. Damon didn't like what he saw on their faces—unease.

Damn.

"What's up?" Damon asked, forcing his voice to remain steady.

Giuseppe cleared his throat. "Well…"

"We have news," Lillian imparted, a fake cheeriness to her voice.

They were not retiring. They had changed their minds.

Damn.

Damon wanting his parents to retire didn't make him a bad son or selfish. His parents had parents have worked hard their whole lives, building this business up and making it into what it was today. But they were in their late sixties, and he wanted them to take it easy and enjoy their golden years.

"Good or bad news?" Damon's eyes flickered between the pair of them, trying to catch anything in their expressions, but they were giving away nothing.

"Good news." Lillian beamed a smile. "Isn't it, Giuseppe?" She nudged Giuseppe in the side with her elbow.

Giuseppe grunted a sound that she gave a disapproving look to. And that sound did nothing to appease the sick feeling Damon had right now.

"Now, honey, even though this is good news, I have a feeling you might not think so off the bat, but I just want you to have an open mind and listen to what we have to say."

Damon swallowed. "Okay…"

"Well, there's no other way to say this than to just say it, so…we have hired another CEO to come work here with you and help you run the company."

Damon froze. "I'm sorry, what?" He stared over at his mother. "You are going to have to say that again because, for a second there…I thought you said that you had hired another…CEO."

"I did. And we have."

Damn. Damn. Damn.

He stared at his mother's steady face. His eyes moved to his father's face. Giuseppe's expression was blank, giving him nothing.

"Is this a joke?"

"No," Lillian said softly. It was the voice she used when he was younger and he was upset, and she was trying to soothe him.

The pacifying voice.

Damon used to love that voice. Now, he officially hated it.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

"Language, Damon," Lillian chastised.

Damon's jaw tightened. "Like now is the time to quibble over my use of the English language." He looked at his father. "Am I not getting the job?"

He saw a flash of dismay in Giuseppe's eyes. "Of course you are," Giuseppe said, his tone resolute. "The job is yours, Damon. Without a doubt. Your mother just thought—"

"We both think," Lillian flashed a stern look at Giuseppe, "that you could do with the support that having a co-CEO would offer. It's a lot of work, running a business of this size."

"I know. And I'm fully equipped and ready to do so. That's what you have been training me to do for the past seven years. Jesus, I have been working towards this ever since I started coming in with you both when I was a kid. I know this business inside and out! No one knows the business better than I do." Damon knew his voice was getting louder and louder, but he couldn't help it.

A co-CEO. What the hell!

"Damon, we know how experienced and knowledgeable you are. It's not about that. Your dad and I have successfully run this company together. Lots of companies nowadays have co-CEOs. There are a lot of benefits in having a partner to run the company with."

Damon wanted to yell at them that they were wrong. That he could run this company with one arm tied behind his back while blindfolded. But he knew by throwing a hissy fit would only reinforce to his parents that they made the right decision to hire this new person to come and work here with him.

No, what he had to do was be mature about this. He would tell them he would make sure to work with this new co-CEO and be nice.

And, in reality, he would be looking for a way to get rid of this job-stealing asshole while proving that he was more than capable of running the company alone. His company.

Damon took a calming deep breath and placed his hands, palms down, on his desk. "Well, I can't say that I'm happy about this turn of events because I'm not. But it is your company, and you are free to do as you please with it. Yes, I'm your son—your only child—and heir. But you raised me right, and I will go along with whatever you think is best for the company."

"Damon, I know you are thinking that we made this decision to bring someone else in because we think you can't run the company alone. But that's not the case."

"I'm not thinking that at all. I know I'm more than capable of running the company alone."

Lillian smiled at his son. "Of course you are, Damon. But what's made this company so successful is the male-female dynamic from your father and me."

"So, from that, should I take it that you have hired a woman?"

"Yes. We have hired a female co-CEO to help you run the company. I love you, Damon. You are my son. You are incredibly bright and talented. But, when it comes to women, you don't have a clue. You don't understand their wants and needs."

Damon raised his brows. "That's a very sexist thing for you to say, Mum."

Giuseppe smothered a laugh.

Lillian threw an annoyed glance at Giuseppe and then looked back at Damon, her brows furrowed in annoyance. "I meant that you don't understand their wants and needs when it comes to the actual items. That can only come from being a woman. And having both a male and female viewpoint helps enormously with the business we are in. My view comes from a woman's perspective—of actually wearing and understanding the product, the issues of materials and comfort as well as the look. Your father's perspective is in sales and focused on branding. Together, we have been a formidable team. I want that for you."

"I'm not marrying this chick."

"Of course not!" Lillian's laugh tinkled around the room.

"Your mother just wants you to have a counterbalance, Damon," Giuseppe said.

"Why didn't you tell me this before now?"

"Because we weren't sure that we were going to find the right person to fit the role."

"And, now, you have?"

"Yes."

"Just out of curiosity, what would you have done if you hadn't found the right woman for the job?"

Lillian's shoulders lifted. "We would have crossed that bridge when we came to it."

Damon kept quiet. He knew his parents loved him, but this sure did feel a lot like betrayal. And he didn't like it.

"We are not doing this to hurt you, Damon. You know we have only ever had your best interests at heart."

"Mmhmm." Damon folded his arms over his chest. "And how long will I be co-CEOing for?"

Lilian's brows drew together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how long will I have to share my job for?"

His parents glanced at each other and then back at him.

"Well, we are not sure…exactly," Lillian answered.

"So, that means, I will one day have the company to run alone?"

"Yes," Giuseppe said decisively. "Damon, you know the company will be yours when your mother and I are gone. And you can do as you choose with it then."

"Well, I'm hoping you don't go anytime soon, and I would quite like to run the business solo well before then."

"Let's put a pin in this for now." Lillian clapped her hands together, ending the conversation.

Put a pin in it? Jesus Christ. They were talking about his life here, and his mother wanted to stick a pin in it.

But Damon knew that pushing the issue right now would get him nowhere. He needed to tackle this again—and soon—but at this moment in time, he needed to deal with the crap they had just dropped in his lap.

"So, when do I get to meet this mystery woman?" Damon asked.

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Damon echoed.

"Yes, she is coming in first thing tomorrow morning to meet with you. And then, afterward, in the weekly meeting, we will formally announce her new role along with your step up as co-CEOs."

Co-CEO. The word made Damon wanted to vomit.

If he didn't love his parents, he would legit strangle them right now. With his bare hands.

"I know you are worried about this, Damon, but Elena is great, and you do actually already know her," Lillian said.

That brought Damon's head up. "I know her?"

Had he slept with this woman?

"Elena told us that you went to Harvard together," Giuseppe said.

Elena. Harvard. Went together.

This wasn't sounding good.

Damon swallowed. "What's her surname?"

"Gilbert," Lillian answered. "Elena Gilbert."

Ah, hell.

Elena Gilbert. The stuck-up bitch.

Relief and dismay swept through Damon in equal measure.

Relief because he definitely didn't sleep with her in Harvard.

Dismay because she hated him then.

Which was a shame because she was a pretty thing. Well, her face was, which was always on show—as her hair was habitually tied back into a ponytail—unlike her body, which was always covered up with ugly-ass big sweaters.

And she was so damn serious all the time. Hence the nickname Stuck-up Bitch.

She never went to parties. She spent all her time either in the library or with her nose stuck up the professors' asses.

Damon had never once heard of her socializing or saw her with any friends. She was a stuck-up bitch who thought that she was better than everyone else. Included him.

Elena Gilbert took an instant dislike to him from the word go without even bothering to get to know him.

She came to the conclusion that he was an overprivileged, womanizing man-whore.

Fine, he did have certain privileges growing up because of his parents' success, and, yes, he had a job to walk straight into out of university, but his parents made him work for it. Nothing had ever been handed to him. He had earned everything he had.

And, sure, he had dated quite a few girls in Harvard.

Except for her.

Because she took one look at him and thought she had him pegged. When, in actuality, she knew nothing about him.

Did it annoy Damon? Sure, it did. But he wasn't going to lose sleep over a stuck-up bitch who went around and made snap judgments about people she barely knew.

But then that was nine years ago. A lot can change in nine years. Maybe Elena Gilbert had changed.

Well, Damon hoped she had because, for the short-term—until he could get rid of her—he was stuck with sharing his company with her.

* * *

 **To my beloved readers, I'm back! This is my latest Delena story and I hope you guys/gals will enjoy this story:) Hopefully my writing hasn't deteriorated and I promise I will continue to improve my writing. Thank you for the support!**


	2. Chapter 2

Even though Damon had a lot work to get through today, he couldn't focus on anything after the news his parents had dropped on him.

So, he did what every other person in his position would do.

He stalked Elena Gilbert online.

He might have known her back in Harvard—not that he really knew her that well—but he definitely didn't know Elena now.

He didn't know what she had been up to in the last nine years. Or if she was still a massive bitch.

But what did he get for spending his day researching on her?

Not a lot.

Elena Gilbert didn't have a Twitter or Instagram account. She did have a Facebook account—well, if it was hers. Damon could only find one account for an Elena Gilbert in Richmond. But that was locked down tight—just like her legs had been in college—so he figured it had to be her.

After his unsuccessful Elena stalking, Damon sent his friends an SOS text and asked them to meet him at The Grill. It was a pub that was popular with the after-work crowd. He liked it there. The feel was laid-back, and the food was great. Not that he felt like eating. But drinking? He definitely felt like drinking. That showed how stressed he was. He rarely drank during the week.

Damon pushed through the door into The Grill. He saw Alaric was already here, sitting at the bar, sipping on a beer.

Enzo was his best friend even though he was also close to Alaric. Enzo was richer than Damon was because his family owned K-mart the big supermarket chain in the State of Virginia.

Enzo was the heir to K-mart. His great-grandpa started the business way back when, which he passed on to Enzo grandpa. Enzo's mother was the only kid. And all she did was spend his parent's money and get knocked up by Enzo's father. Weird thing was, no one knew who Enzo's father was. His mother had never said. To this day, Enzo still didn't know. His mother was a selfish woman. She was hardly there while Enzo was growing up; she was too busy traveling the world and finding the next man to marry. She had been married eight times.

Enzo's grandpa raised Enzo. Sadly, he died of lung cancer when Enzo was sixteen. Enzo didn't take it well. He took it even worse when he found out that his grandfather had left him everything. He was sixteen and clueless. So, a CEO was brought in to run the company until Enzo was ready to step into his rightful place.

But Enzo never had.

After he graduated college, he just bummed around for a bit. He spent his days sleeping and his nights partying and screwing beautiful woman and getting his name in the gossip columns on a regular basis.

Damon thought Enzo was capable of so much more. No, he knew his friend was capable of more. But he didn't push the issue. Enzo was his best friend, and it was Enzo's decision how he wanted to run his life.

Unlike Damon. Apparently, he had no say in what happened in his life.

"Hey, man." Damon patted Enzo on the back, taking the stool next to him.

"Hey. Your usual?" Enzo asked him.

"Yep."

Enzo signalled to the bartender and ordered a bourbon for Damon.

"So, what's up?" Enzo asked.

Damon sighed. "Everything." He dragged his hands down his face and let out a groan.

"That bad?"

"Worse."

The bartender put the bourbon in front of Damon. He picked it up and down half of the glass before putting it back down.

"Better?" Enzo asked.

"Nope." Damon looked at his friend. "Mum and Dad went behind my back and hired someone to come and work with me. A 'co-CEO.'"

Enzo's eyes widened. "You are kidding."

"Wish I were." Damon sighed. "And it gets worse. The person they have hired to share my job with me is Elena Gilbert."

Enzo's brows drew together in thought. "Elena Gilbert…"

"We went to Harvard with her," Damon said. "She always used to sit in the front row. Wore those baggy-ass sweaters all the time. I used to call her Gilbert the stuck-up bitch."

"Oh, yeah." Enzo clicked his fingers in recognition. "Straight dark brown hair."

"That's the one."

"Damn…she hated your guts in college, man." Enzo laughed as he picked up his beer and took a sip. "Why was that?"

"I guess she thought I was a rich prick."

"You are. But so am I. And she didn't hate me."

"Who didn't hate you?" Alaric dropped into the stool next to Enzo.

"Elena Gilbert," Enzo told Alaric. "You remember her from Harvard?"

"God, yeah. Haven't heard that name in a while though. I used to work shifts with her at Starbucks."

Unlike Damon and Enzo, Alaric's family wasn't rich. He was at Harvard on a scholarship. But he created this dating app after he graduated, and it went big. Really big.

"Did you?" Damon looked at Alaric. "How did I not know that?"

Alaric shrugged. "She was a nice girl. Didn't like you though, if I remember right."

"She hated his guts," Enzo clarified.

"Thanks for the reminder." Damon grimaced at his friend.

"I will have a draft beer," Alaric told the bartender, who just approached. "Why are we talking about Elena Gilbert anyway?" he asked.

"Because Damon's parents had just hired her to be the CEO at his company."

"What?" Alaric's head swivelled to Damon. "I thought you were getting the job."

"I am. They are bringing her in as co-CEO. Apparently, they think I need a woman's perspective to help me run the company, which is just bullshit and a massive insult."

"Feel for you, buddy." Alaric patted Damon's shoulder and then picked up the beer the bartender just put in front of him.

"What are you going to do?" Enzo asked Damon.

"Not much I can do." Damon shrugged. "Elena is coming in tomorrow, and the announcement will be made to the rest of the staff. Then, I have to share my company with her."

God, Damon hated his life right now.

And he knew hate was a very strong word, so he wouldn't use it in reference to his parents, but he would say that he seriously, intensely did not like them right now.

"And that's it?" Alaric said. "You are just going to sit back and accept it."

Enzo laughed. "Come on, this is Damon Salvatore we are talking about. No way will he just roll over and take this. At least, not without a fight."

"Oh, I intend to fight all right." And Damon would fight as dirty as he needed to. But he needed to get his battle plan together, and he couldn't do that until he had met with Elena tomorrow and know what her deal was. "But, right now, I'm going to have a drink with my buddies and maybe shoot some pool later. Who is with me?"

"Always with you, man," Enzo said. "But I think we need something stronger than beer for this." He signalled the bartender. "Three shots of Jägermeister."

"No shots," Damon told Enzo. "I have got work in the morning."

He couldn't be hung over when he met Elena. Especially not when he had to stand there during the big announcement of her new role in the company.

The thought alone made him sick.

"I don't want a shot. I have got an early meeting tomorrow," Alaric told Enzo.

"Oh, come on. Just one shot won't kill you."

"Fine." Damon sighed. "One shot, and that's it."

Enzo grinned. "Sure thing, man."

The bartender poured out their drinks. "Enjoy."

Enzo picked up a glass and held it out to them. "Let's toast."

Damon rolled his eyes. "What the hell do I have to toast about? How I just lost half of my company?"

"You didn't lose half of your company, Damon." Enzo chuckled. "Elena is just taking half of your job."

"Oh, well, that's okay then," Damon deadpan.

"Why don't we toast to Damon finding a way to get rid of Elena and get his job back?" Alaric said.

"He hasn't lost his job though. And wouldn't that be more of a wish?"

"Are you two for real right now?" Damon stared at them both. "No toasts. And no wishes. Let's just drink, so I can try to forget about this shitty day and the even shittier day that I'm going to have tomorrow."

And, with that horrendous thought in mind, Damon picked up his shot and threw it back.

x x x

Jesus Christ.

Damon's head was pounding.

And what the hell was that noise?

Was that drilling outside?

He lived on the twenty-first floor, and his windows didn't open.

How the hell could he hear drilling?

Damon licked his dried lips. His mouth felt dusty.

What time was it?

He had to meet Elena in the morning.

Damn.

He blindly fumbled around for his phone on his nightstand. Only there was an empty space where his nightstand usually was.

He got a sinking feeling right at the same time as he heard a soft groan came from beside him.

Rubbing his eyes before opening them to the muted light in the room, Damon turned his head, and on the pillow next to him was a mass of long blonde hair with a face hidden beneath.

Where the hell was he?

Definitely not a hotel room. There were a selection of bras and panties hanging on the radiator, drying.

Clearly, he got wasted and ended up back at this woman's place.

So much for only one shot. Thanks to Enzo.

He needed to get out of here and get back to his apartment to get ready to face Elena

Damon got out of bed, careful not to wake his bed partner up. He couldn't deal with the morning-after conversation.

He located his clothes and shoes in a heap on the floor. He picked up his pants and felt his wallet and cell in the pocket.

He pulled his cell out and lit up the screen.

It was eight thirty.

Damn.

And he had five missed calls from Rose and three from his mother, which was odd. But then again, he was usually in the office by now, and they were probably wondering where he was. Especially with Elena coming in this morning.

He needed to get in the office ASAP. He didn't have time to go home and change. He would call Rose on the way and ask her to get his clothes ready. He normally kept a few spare shirts and suits at the office.

Damon grabbed his shirt and put it on, not bothering to button it up, and he slipped sockless feet into his shoes. He had no idea where his socks were, but he didn't have time to look for them. He sneaked out of her bedroom, through the apartment, and quietly let himself out into the hall.

He looked up and down the hallway. He had clue where he was. The only recollection he had of last night was doing body shots off a woman—he assuming the one he just left in bed.

Damon swore, he was never going to drink again.

Ignoring the pounding in his skull, he jogged down the hallway and found the stairwell at the end. He was on the third floor. He ran down the stairs, his shirt flapping as he went.

Then, he was in the empty lobby, and he went out onto the street. Stopping on the sidewalk, he looked around.

Where was he? Nothing looked familiar to him right now.

He saw a cab approaching, so he put his hand out to flag it down.

The cab slowed at the curb side, and he climbed in the back.

"Where to, buddy?"

"Stupid question, but where am I?" Damon asked the driver.

The driver chuckled and turned in his seat to look at him. "Rough night?"

"You could say that."

"Well, it must have been a good one if you don't know where you are. You are in Dragonville." The driver tapped a finger on the sign on his dash. It read Dragonville Cabs. "Where do you need to be?"

"I'm in Dragonville? Jesus Christ," Damon groaned.

That was about an hour drive out of Richmond.

How the hell did he get here?

Damon dragged his hand down his face. "Look, man, I really need to be in Richmond—like, about an hour ago."

The driver gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, buddy, but I don't take fares out of Dragonville."

Damon leaned forward in his seat. "I will pay you a thousand bucks to take me to Richmond and get me there in the fastest time."

"It is rush hour, man. The quickest I could get you to downtown Richmond would be an hour and a half, and that's if we are lucky. You are looking at more like two hours."

Two hours!

Damn. Damn. Damn.

"Fine. You get me there in an hour and thirty, and a thousand bucks is yours."

The drivers eyes lit up with dollar signs. "You have got yourself a deal," he told Damon.

He put the car in drive, doing a U-turn in the road.

Damon called Rose. Tucking his cell between his ear and shoulder, he started buttoning up his shirt.

It rang once before she answered.

"Where are you?" she whisper-hissed.

"I'm in a cab, on the way to the office."

"Please tell me you are five minutes away."

"I wish. More like ninety minutes."

"Ninety minutes!" she screeched.

Damon winced.

"Where in the world are you?"

"Dragonville."

"Dragonville! Jesus, Damon. What are you doing there? Actually, I don't want to know. But your mother is not happy at all. I have been running interference with her. She told me that she called you already, and you didn't answer. Elena arrived ten minutes ago."

Damon groaned. "Damn. She is early."

"Yeah, well, your mother is not happy because she wanted you to meet with her before the staff meeting, which is happening in an hour."

"An hour!" Damon slammed his hand down on the seat beside him. "The meeting was supposed to be at ten."

"It was brought forward. You got an email about it late last night."

Last night—when he was in a bar, getting trashed and doing body shots off a woman.

He was such a prick.

"Damn." Taking his phone in hand, Damon laid his head back on the seat and rubbed his aching forehead. "I will be there as soon as I can. Just try to delay the meeting until I get there."

"I will do my best."

Damon couldn't believe this. He needed to be in Richmond in an hour to make that meeting.

Because, if he didn't, he would never hear the end of it from his mother.

He leaned forward in his seat. "Looks like I need to be in Richmond in an hour. I will add another five hundred to your fare if you get me there."

The driver's eyes met his in his rear-view mirror. "I will do my best."

His foot pressed down on the gas as Damon lied back on the seat and prayed for a traffic miracle.

The cab got him to the office in an hour and twenty. He paid the driver and jumped out of the cab. He raced his way into the building and straight into a waiting elevator.

He jabbed at the button to his floor, impatiently watching the door closed. Then, finally, it started to ascend.

He tucked his shirt into his pants, and staring at his blurred reflection on the shiny metal walls of the elevator, he ran his hands through his hair, trying to straighten it.

The elevator reached his floor. The door opened, and Rose was waiting there with a coffee in hand.

"You look terrible."

"Thanks." Damon took the coffee from her, and they started walking side by side in the direction of his office. "Has the meeting started yet?"

"No. Your parents pushed it back."

"Is my mother pissed?"

Rose slid him a look. "What do you think?"

Damon groaned.

"They are waiting for you in your office with Elena."

"Okay." He took a gulp of coffee.

"And your parents think that a pipe burst at your apartment and that you had to get the plumbers in, so that's why you are late."

"You are the best," Damon told her.

Rose smirked. "Oh, I know."

His stomach growled loudly. He realized he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday. No wonder he got so hammered last night.

"You hungry?"

"Apparently so."

"I think there are some muffins and brownies in the conference room, but I will put an order in for waffles at your usual place."

Damon smiled at her. "Thanks, Rose. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without you."

"You would crash and burn. But, luckily for you, that will never happen because I'm here to stay."

"You are due a pay raise soon, right?"

She grinned. "Yes."

They reached his office door. He took another drink of his coffee and handed it off to Rose.

She gave him an encouraging smile. "You have got this."

Damon took a deep breath and pulled his shoulders back. Then, he pushed open his door and walked in his office.

He heard Rose made a noise behind him, like a gasp, but he ignored her and strode confidently into his office.

"Mum, Dad." He smiled at them. "So sorry I'm late."

Lillian returned smile, but he could see she was pissed. The tightening around her mouth gave it away. He had seen that mouth tightened a lot over the years.

Giuseppe greeted him, coming over to pat his back. "Don't worry, son. It is not your fault you had plumbing problems."

If he had had plumbing problems, then he wouldn't have been so late. Damon swallowed down.

"Damon, you remember Elena." Lillian gestured to the sofa.

For the first time in nine years, Damon's eyes took in Elena Gilbert.

He knew for certain that she had changed.

"Yes, of course." He walked forward to greet her, his eyes fixed on her.

Elena rose to her feet, her lips pressing into a smile. Damon thought it was the first time he had ever seen her smile in his direction. He used to get a sneer, and that was on a good day.

Giuseppe made a strangled noise behind him, but Damon was too busy taking in Elena to pay him any mind.

Elena Gilbert was all grown-up. And he would never forget a face like her.

She had straight, sleek dark brown hair with red streaks close to her face. Brown eyes as large as a doe's. She was pretty in Harvard. But, now, she was a knockout. She was thinner than she used to be, but she was still rocking those curves in all the right places.

She was wearing a grey pencil dress that had a slit up the front, finishing mid-thigh, showing enough of her gorgeous tan legs to tease. The dress hugged her body, showcasing her amazing figure.

She looked the same but different. Still fresh-faced. But, now, she wore a little more makeup than she used to in college. Pouty lips painted pink. Wide brown eyes lined with thick black lashes, staring back at him, not giving anything away, but they looked a hell of a lot warmer than they used to look at me back in college.

Elena Gilbert was stunning.

She looked like she should be modelling their product, not selling it.

"It is great to see you again," Damon said with a smile.

Her smile widened, showing a slip of her white teeth. Then, she parted her lips to speak—when Lillian's voice sliced through the air.

"Damon! What is on the back of your shirt?"

Damon stopped at the shrill tone of Lillian's voice, his eyes jerking in her direction. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Your shirt!" Lillian started to advance on him, clear anger in her eyes.

His shirt? What the hell was she talking about?

Before Lillian could reach, Damon turned to look at himself in the wall mirror on the other side of his office. As I move, he saw Rose's wide eyes, her lips pressed tightly together. He caught sight of his father, and his fist was pressed to his lips. He was clearly fighting laughter.

What the hell was going on?

Then, he heard Elena gasped. He swung his eyes back to hers, and the warmth that was in them had been replaced with barely concealed disgust.

What the hell was happening here right now?

Pulling his eyes from Elena, Damon turned his back to the mirror, looking at it over his shoulder, trying to see what everyone else was seeing, and—

His heart nearly stopped

No. That couldn't be. Surely not.

He narrowed his eyes, trying to take in what he was seeing. He backed up, so he was closer to the mirror, his eyes glued to it, and all too soon, it became clear.

He hissed. "What the hell?"

How did that get there?

Well, he had a pretty good idea how it got there. He just didn't know when it was put there. Or why someone would do that.

How the hell did he not see this when he was getting dressed?

He knew he was bleary-eyed, and the room was semi dark, but it was not like something one could miss it

Because written there, on the back of his light-blue shirt, in clear black ink was…

Last night was incredible! You really are Wild;)

Call me if you want to have sex again.

847-206-7841

xoxo

What the hell.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and kind reviews! I was a bit worried that my readers may not like this Delena story...I bet some of you may not like this Damon, LOL! Well, keep an open mind, maybe you will eventually find this Damon cute and adorable;)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

_Nine years ago_

Sitting in her seat in the front row of the lecture hall, Elena tried to listen as Professor Tanner started to talk, but her neck was sore and aching. She rolled her head, her hand pressed to the back of her neck, trying to ease the pressure.

It didn't work.

Her neck was stiff because she had spent the night on the floor of her best friend, Bonnie's, dorm room—and not by choice.

Elena and Bonnie had gone to high school together, and they had decided to come to Harvard together. They had agreed that they would room separately, so they could meet new people.

Bonnie had gotten an awesome roommate—Caroline.

Elena had gotten the roommate from hell—Vicky.

And she had to crash on Bonnie and Caroline's floor because Vicky had locked her out of their room.

The thought alone made Elena gritted teeth in anger, and she ignored the ache in her chest when she recalled the reason Vicky had locked her out of their room.

Damon Salvatore.

The guy Elena stupidly had a crush on. Not that he even knew her name. A girl like Elena Gilbert would never register on the radar of a guy like Damon.

He was ridiculously beautiful with a dark brown, almost black hair and striking blue eyes contrasting wonderfully against darkened lashes and eyebrows. He was very handsome, standing 5'10" in height with a well built, toned physique.

Damon was part of Harvard's elite. The rich, beautiful crowd.

And he spent last night in Elena's dorm room, screwing her roommate.

It had made sense that he would go for someone like Vicky. She might be a bitch, but she was gorgeous. Thin, big boobs, long, blonde hair, and olive skin. She looked like she just stepped out of a L'Oréal commercial. And she came from a wealthy family. Her father was the CEO of a bank.

She was Damon's kind.

Elena, on the other hand, came from a working-class family. Her father an electrician, and her mother was a teacher. She was here at Harvard on a scholarship. She had always been too focused on schoolwork to care about boys, but the moment she saw Damon, there was just something about him. Something she liked.

Until last night, that was.

Of course, she had heard the gossip—that Damon was a player—but she had always chosen not to listen to rumours.

Her mother, Miranda Gilbert had always said that what people project wasn't necessarily a true reflection of themselves. She said most people would only ever show people what they wanted people to know, and if one wanted to know more, then it would be up to one to dig a little deeper and get to know them properly. So, Elena would never make snap judgments about people.

Maybe that should change.

Because she was clearly wrong about Damon Salvatore. Not that she had known much about him before last night. But, in the little she had gleamed from him in her time at Harvard, she had thought he seemed nice. He was always smiling and joking around with his friends. And she had figured, even if he was a player, it didn't make him a bad person, so long as he was up-front with the girls he was dating with.

But she was wrong.

Damon wasn't a nice guy.

He was an asshole in the first degree.

A bastard.

Late last night after a long-ass shift at Starbucks, Elena was tired, and all she wanted to do go to bed and sleep. But, when she got back, she couldn't get in her room. The door was locked, and her key wouldn't turn, like the lock had been jammed from the other side.

Initially, she had a flash of worry for Vicky—until she heard a load moan come from behind the door and the sound of Vicky giggling. That was when she realized that Vicky had locked her out of their room. It wasn't the first time Vicky had done this. Elena was angry. She hammered on the door, and when Vicky finally opened up, wearing only her bra and panties, she had a scowl on her face, her hair all tousled up.

Then, Elena saw Damon lying on her bed, naked, except for his boxer shorts.

And she wanted to throw up.

"What?" Vicky snapped.

Elena blinked at her in surprise. "Um, I'm really tired, Vicky. I have had a long day, and I really just want to go to sleep."

"So?" Vicky's hand went to her hip.

"So, can you find somewhere else to…" Elena gestured a hand in the direction of Damon without looking at him. She wasn't going to say the words, and she definitely wasn't going to look at him again.

"No," Vicky said.

"No?" Elena echoed in surprise.

"No. I'm busy, and we are going to be busy all night, so you will have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight."

While Vicky was saying that, Damon had gotten up from her bed, and he came up behind her, sliding his hands around her waist and kissing her neck.

All Elena could do was stare at them. Angry at what Vicky had said and crushed, watching him touch her like that.

Then, his eyes lifted, and he looked straight at Elena. His eyes were glazed from alcohol. "Let her in," he said to Vicky but not taking his eyes off me. "She can watch. Maybe even join in. She looks like she could do with some loosening up."

Elena heard a strangled noise, and when Damon smirked, she realized that it had come from her.

Embarrassment stung her cheeks. She curled her hand into the hem of her work shirt.

"You ass!" Vicky slapped his arm as she turned in to face him. "Aren't I enough for you?" She pouted.

"Course you are, babe." Damon let an arm drop from around her and shut the door in Elena's face.

Elena was too flabbergasted to react.

Then, she heard Vicky's words from behind the door, "You didn't mean that, did you? About her joining in?"

He chuckled, deep and low. "Course not. I was just joking."

"Good, because I didn't think Damon Salvatore was into fat chicks."

Fat? Elena looked at her body. She was not fat!

Damon laughed, and that hurt more than Vicky's comment. Because his laughter only confirmed that he agreed with her.

And it was proven when he said, "You know me, babe. Anything over a size four, and I show her the door."

Elena sucked in a painful breath as she staggered away.

She didn't want to hear any more. She had heard enough.

Damon Salvatore thought that she was fat.

She had never been called fat before. She knew she wasn't super skinny, but fat never came into the equation.

She glanced down at her body, suddenly seeing herself through their eyes…his eyes.

Tears started to blur her vision, and she swiped a hand over her eyes. She hated them both in that moment…and herself for letting them get to her like that.

And for having a crush on such an asshole.

An asshole who only cared about the physical size of a girl and had no qualms over kicking her out of her room with no regard for where she would be sleeping tonight just so he could get laid.

Those two things told Elena everything she needed to know about Damon Salvatore

The bang of the door in the lecture hall brought Elena's eyes to it, as it did everyone else in here.

It was Damon, arriving late for the lecture. His arm was slung around the shoulders of a girl was not Vicky. Honestly, Elena was not sure if she had ever seen her in this lecture before. He probably just picked her up outside.

The girl was definitely under a size four, so Elena guessed she wouldn't be shown the door.

He was truly an asshole.

Elena would not let Damon's comment from last night bothered her. She didn't care what he thought about her.

Only that was a lie, and she did care.

Damon strode through the lecture hall with the girl, heading for the seats. Neither of them apologized to their professor for their tardiness.

Rude bastard.

But, even still, Elena's eyes tracked him without her permission.

Without warning, Damon looked straight over at her, like he felt her staring at him.

Heat rose in her cheeks, but she didn't look away. She let all her anger into her eyes.

She wanted him to know that she was pissed at him for last night.

She saw a whisper of confusion crossed his brow, like he couldn't figure out why she was annoyed with him.

The fact that he couldn't remember annoyed Elena even more. The moment—no, she was so insignificant for him that he couldn't even remember.

Her hands curled into fists, and her pulse started to throb in her neck.

She wanted him to remember. And she wanted him to feel bad.

She watched in those seconds that felt like hours, hoping for a hint of an apology in his eyes. Hell, she would even take guilt.

But she got neither.

Well, Elena got something, but honestly, she would rather have had his ignorance.

Damon smirked and winked at her.

Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach, and hurt and embarrassment filled her.

And that was the exact moment that she stopped crushing on Damon Salvatore and started hating on him instead.

* * *

 **Thank you for the support and wonderful reviews. I'm really glad that you guys/gals enjoy this Delena story. I was laughing out loud when I finished writing last chapter. It was always fun to write Damon's character - some of you may not like him but I think he is adorable, LOL! I have always enjoyed writing "bad boy" Damon:)**

 **Go check out some amazing stories in this website - Eyes Without a face and November Rain by scarlett2112, Captive of her beauty by Salvatoreboys4ever, Apologize by vamphony etc.**


	4. Chapter 4

The meeting finished half an hour ago. Damon was dressed in a clean shirt and suit. Thank God he had always kept spares in his office. Never thought he would need them for that reason though.

The announcement about Elena and he was made, and Elena stood up to introduce herself to everyone. Damon was pretty sure she told everyone where she was from and regaled her previous job history to them along with what she hoped to achieve here, but he didn't absorb a word because, honestly, he was stuck in his head, silently fuming over the shirt incident.

Thank God he wouldn't be seeing that woman again.

She was obviously crazy.

Who would write a note about how great the sex was? Writing that and her phone number on the back of his shirt, it was just crazy behaviour.

He could really have done without that happening the first time he saw Elena after all these years.

She looked at him like he was the same piece of shit that she had thought he was in Harvard, and he couldn't blame her.

He didn't get a chance to explain, not that his explanation would have had him coming off sounding great, because his mother ushered her out of the office, leaving him with Rose and Giuseppe, who thought it was highly amusing. Damon bet his father wouldn't be laughing about it to Lillian though.

And Damon knew for sure that he was in for a lecture from his mother.

Aside from the side-eyed stares she kept giving him during the meeting, he was treated to the "look right" stares before she and Giuseppe left to go to their meeting with their broker.

But he would deal with his mother later.

Right now, he needed to speak to Elena.

He wanted to talk to her after the meeting was done, but he couldn't get her alone for a second. Then, he had to take a business call on his cell, so he stepped out of the conference room, and when he came back, she was gone. He asked Rose if she knew where Elena was, and Rose told him Elena was up in her new office, checking it out.

So, here he was, on his way to Elena's office.

The door to Elena's office was opened when he approached. She had her back to him, staring out the window.

Her office used to belong to Richard Lockwood. He was Deputy CEO. He died suddenly a year and a half ago of a heart attack. His parents never refilled his position, and his office had stood empty ever since. They just distributed his work between themselves and Damon. Richard had worked for them forever, and he had been a good friend to them, so it hit them hard, losing him. It hit them all hard.

It was little weird to see Elena standing in here, in Richard's office. Damon half-expected to hear the sound of Richard's big, booming laughter.

The office was bare, except for Richard's old desk and chair.

Elena would need new furniture.

"You like the view?" Damon said in a soft voice so as not to startle her.

He saw her back stiffened at the sound of his voice, which wasn't a good sign, and then she looked at him over her shoulder before turning to face him.

"It is stunning."

 _So are you._ The thought popped into Damon's head out of nowhere.

But he was right. Elena was stunning.

"You are going to need new furniture." He gestured to the sparse space.

Her eyes moved around. "Yeah."

"I will get my PA, Rose, to email you the link to the website of the office supplier we use. Just pick out what you need and let Rose know, and she will have it here for you when you start on Monday."

"That will be great. Thanks."

There was a brief lull of silence between them.

"Has my mother mentioned anything about hiring a PA for you?" Damon asked eventually.

Elena nodded. "Yes. Your mother has lined up some interviews for me, so I should be sorted soon."

"Good…great."

They slipped into silence again.

He just needed to say what he came here to say and then get out of here.

Why was it so hard to open his mouth?

"Look, Elena…" Damon rubbed a hand over his hair. "What happened earlier in my office…what you saw on the back of my shirt—"

"Is none of my business," Elena cut him off.

"I know, but I just want you to know that's not the norm for me. I'm never usually late or unprofessional in that way. It was just…" He couldn't exactly tell her that he was out, drinking at a bar, because he was freaking out over her starting work here and taking half of his job.

"Honestly, you don't have to explain, Damon."

"I think I do." Damon took a breath. "I know that we didn't get along great in Harvard—"

"Didn't we?" Elena tilted her head. The amusement dancing in her eyes surprised him.

Damon let loose a smile on his lips. "Come on, Elena, we both know I wasn't your favourite person back then, and you didn't exactly make that fact unknown to me."

Elena laughed, and the sound rans through his veins like alcohol in his bloodstream.

"Okay," she conceded, "I didn't like you. But you didn't like me either."

Damon cocked his head. "I liked you just fine—well, in the beginning until you incorrectly decided that I was an overprivileged prick and started hating on me."

The humour faded from her eyes, and he knew he had said the wrong thing and took them back a step.

She pressed her lips together, like she was holding back from saying something, and before whatever words she was fighting back could get out, he jumped in.

"Look, this isn't coming out right." He rubbed a hand over his face. "What I'm trying to say is, whatever happened back then or what we thought of each other doesn't matter. We are different people now. Harvard was forever ago. Neither of us knows the 2017 versions of each other, and I would really like for us to wipe the slate clean and start fresh from here."

"When you say 'wipe the slate clean,' do you mean, forget the sex note on the back of your shirt, too?"

"Jesus." Damon shook his head. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

Her lips twitched, like she was fighting a smile. "Probably not."

"In all seriousness, I just want you to know that was the first time anything like that has ever happened to me. It was just one of those screwup kind of days that happened on the worst day."

Her brows knitted together. "Me starting today is your worst day?"

"No!" _Yes. Kind of_. "No, I mean—"

"Damon."

"What?"

Elena smiled. "I'm messing with you."

"Oh. Right. Okay." Damon jammed his hands in his pants pockets. "Well, anyway, I just want you to know that I am sorry for what happened before, and I do always keep my personal life away from work. I'm all business when I'm here."

"Me, too," she said.

"That's good then—that we are on the same page." He freed hands from his pockets and walked towards her. His heart rate picked up, the closer he got to her.

Elena smelled feminine, floral and sweet. Like a bouquet of flowers. He wanted to bury his head in her neck and taste that scent on the tip of his tongue.

He put his hand out to her. "Clean slate," he said, staring straight into her big brown doe eyes.

Elena blinked once and then glanced down at his hand before looking back up to meet his eyes. She slipped her hand into his. Her hand was soft, and he was desperately trying not to wonder how that hand would feel around his body.

"Hi, clean slate. I'm Elena Gilbert."

"Damon Salvatore." He grinned and shook her hand, thinking that Elena working here might not be the worst thing in the world after all.

x x x

It was Friday afternoon, and Damon was knee deep in work when there was a tap at his door.

He looked up from his computer screen to see Elena standing in his office doorway. She was looking exceptionally, torturously gorgeous in a black pencil skirt with a deep red silk shirt tucked into it, showing off her tiny waist and her more-than-a-handful rack. To top off his torment, her lips were painted the same shade as her shirt, and she was wearing black heels on her feet. Her hair was pinned up, begging for him to free it and run his fingers through it.

Jesus. He really needed another distraction.

And he really needed to stop thinking of her in a sexual way.

But it was tough. Really tough.

"Hey." He smiled. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry to interrupt. Your mother said you have the file on Burton. I was hoping to take it home this weekend, so I can become familiar with them."

Burton was one of their largest distributors.

They had stores across the country, but they also had in-store distributors in cities where they didn't have a physical store.

Elena chewed on her lip, like she was nervous for some reason, and it was doing no good for Damon's self-control.

 _No sex with co-workers. No sex with co-workers._ Damon reminded himself.

He clearly needed to keep repeating that to himself when he was around Elena, because his body didn't seem to be getting the message.

"Sure." He got up from his chair and went to get the file off the shelf. He walked over to her and handed her the file.

"Thanks," she said, holding it to her chest.

She was still lingering in his doorway, so Damon leaned back against his desk to face her.

"How's your first week been?" he asked her.

"Great." Elena gave him a smile. "Really great."

"My mother is not overloading you with information, is she? She is awesome, but she has a tendency to forget that not everyone knows as much about this company as she does."

"No, she has been great. I like her a lot. And your dad, too."

Damon gave her a fleeting smile. "Yeah, they are both pretty awesome."

"Must feel strange for you—them retiring. After working here with them for so long."

"Yeah, it will be strange, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of running this company. With your help, of course," he added.

"Of course." Her lips quirked at the corner. She leaned her shoulder against the doorframe. "Look, I heard something today, and I don't know if it is just office gossip, but I wanted to check. You were originally supposed to run the company yourself, and then your parents recruited me to work with you, as they felt you needed a female counterbalance, but they didn't tell you until I was actually hired."

Irritation flashed through Damon. He crossed a leg over his other and folded his arms as he took a breath. "That's pretty much it, yeah."

Her shoulders sagged a little. "Okay, well, I just wanted you to know that I didn't know. I mean, your parents didn't keep anything from me when they offered me the job. I knew I would be working with you, but I wasn't aware that you didn't know."

"You knew you would be working with me, yet you still took the job?" He lilted his voice, so she knew he was teasing, and honestly, he was ready to move the conversation away from the subject. It was still a sore one with him.

"Shocker, huh?" Elena widened her eyes. "But, honestly, the pay package and benefits were way too good to refuse."

That made him chuckled. "You were at Forever before here. Managing Director of Marketing, right?"

Forever was a female clothing company.

"Yeah."

"You have done well for yourself since college."

Elena shrugged, as if dismissing his words. "So have you."

Damon didn't know if that was a dig or not, so he had chosen to go with the latter, and he was right to do so because she followed it with, "I heard that you went to Stamford after Harvard. Then, you started here, in the bottom ranks, and worked your way up to where you are now."

"Who told you that?"

"Your mother." She smiled. "She also said that you probably had it harder than any employee here, as you felt you had to prove that you had earned everything and you weren't just given it."

It was his turn to give a shrug. "Sounds like my mother has been bragging about me."

"She is proud of you."

It was nice to hear that. Damon knew his parents were proud of him, but hearing it never grew old.

There was a lull between them. But it was not the awkward lull that they had last week when he went to her office. And, this time, they were looking at each other. Neither looking away. And this silence was definitely filled with something…

"So, I should…" Elena thumbed over her shoulder, not finishing her sentence.

"Yeah." Damon cleared his throat. "I really need to get on with this; otherwise, I will be here all night." He rounded his desk and sat down in his chair.

"Thanks for this." Elena lifted the folder away from her chest before clasping it back to her.

As she turned away, Damon felt the weird urge to keep her here even if for just one more moment.

"Did you manage to get a PA sorted?" he asked her.

She stopped and turned back to him. "Yeah." She smiled. "I interviewed three candidates yesterday, and there was one who was a standout—Lexi. I called her up earlier to offer her the position, and she accepted. Great thing is, she can start on Monday, as she had been temping and her temp job finished last week."

"That's great, Elena. I hope she's as good a PA for you as Rose is for me."

Seriously, there was nothing more valuable than a great PA. Rose was like gold dust. Great PAs were hard to come by. If Rose ever decided to leave him, he wouldn't be too proud to get on his knees and beg her to stay.

"Answer wisely, Elena." Rose's voice carried through to his office from her desk outside.

Elena chuckled and glanced over her shoulder, out of his office and at Rose. "I don't think it's possible to find a better PA than you," Elena said to her.

Then, she looked back at Damon, bit the corner of her painted lip, and winked. It was the hottest thing Damon had ever seen.

She was the hottest thing he had ever seen.

And his heart was racing which was unusual.

He had seen a lot of hot women but his heart had never raced. Not like this.

"Thanks again for this." Elena tapped the folder with her fingers. "Have a great weekend. I'll see you on Monday."

"Yeah," he muttered.

Damon's heart was racing because Elena bit her lip and winked at him.

That hadn't happened to him in…well, ever.

Seriously, what the hell was going on?

Damon was not one of those guys who was all about the forbidden fruit and the chase. He was not the kind of guy who wanted something purely because he couldn't have it.

He didn't have to go after the unobtainable because there was more than enough of the obtainable out there for him.

In the past, there had been women who worked here, sexy and beautiful women, who he would have happily slept with but it never bothered him that he couldn't, and he definitely didn't racing heart beats because of a lip bite and wink from them.

He just didn't understand what was going on with him at the moment.

It must be stress. It had to be. Damon reassured himself.

He had a lot going on this past week.

It had to be. There was no other explanation for it.

He left the office late on Friday, as his work had taken him twice as long because his mind kept drifting to thoughts of Elena.

 _Get a grip of yourself, Damon._

He kept on reminding himself that he would never sleep with his staff.

But, after Elena left his office, all he could think of was her. He couldn't get thoughts of her out of his head. Even in the shower of my private bathroom, under the hot spray, he couldn't stop thinking of her. That was when he knew he was getting crazy.

He stopped off in the diner near his apartment building to grab a takeout burger. The waitress who served him was pretty. Although not as pretty as Elena, she was still a pretty doll.

She slipped him her number as she handed him the burger.

Damon wasn't going to call her. But then he got home, and while he ate his burger and drank a beer, Elena's smile and wink kept playing in his mind.

So, he called the takeout girl and went to her place after her shift ended.

He needed to have sex. He needed the release. He needed to forget about Elena.

Only it didn't make him feel as good as he had been hoping it would. He had this weird feeling in his chest somehow. If he didn't know better, he might say it was…guilt.

Which was weird because he had nothing to feel guilty about. Why should he feel guilty about having casual sex? He was single.

Afterward, Damon went back to his apartment and laid awake, thinking about Elena.

He figured he would be okay by Saturday night. Once he was out with the boys, he would be back to normal.

But he was wrong.

Damon wasn't feeling it. So, for the first time in a really long time, he went home alone feeling terrible.

He honestly didn't know what the hell was going on with him.

It must be a blip. Maybe he was having some kind of early-thirties crisis.

He figured he just needed to avoid seeing Elena as much as possible, which was hard, considering he had to work with her. But, if he kept her at arm's and eye's length, then he would get over this little obsession that he had with her, and things would go back to normal.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews. Without the support from my readers, I don't think I will have the motivation to continue writing Delena stories:) You guys/gals are the best! I will be away for a few days but I promise I will write a few chapters in the next week or so. Until then:)**


	5. Chapter 5

It was Tuesday morning, and Damon was heading into the office. He wasn't in yesterday, as he was in Kentucky all day, meeting with their supplier of satin knit, which they used to make their underwear.

He said, "Good morning," to April, ignoring her fluttering eyelids. He had got enough going on with his internal battle without having to contend with her.

He headed straight to the elevators and pressed the call button, waiting.

The elevator door opened. When he was inside, he heard the click of heels on the tiled floor.

 _Please don't be Elena._

Damon really didn't want to be stuck in a small space with her.

But it was not Elena. It was a blonde who he didn't recognize.

He knew he should be relieved that it was not Elena, but he was not because a tiny, sadistic part of him was actually hoping that it was Elena.

"Which floor?" Damon asked the blonde.

He glanced at her. She was pretty but he didn't know her, and he knew everyone who worked here. Maybe she was here for an early meeting with one of the teams.

"Fourteen."

That was Damon's floor. His brows came together in confusion as he reached out to push the button. Then, it dawned on him. She must be Elena's new PA.

"You are Elena's new PA," Damon said as the door closed.

He turned to look at her and found that she was already staring at him.

He felt a jolt of familiarity.

"I did wonder if it was you. Clearly, you don't remember me."

Her eyes flashed with something, and she smiled and took a step closer.

Damn.

She knew him. And Damon had a sinking feeling he knew exactly how she knew him. Because he had slept with her. Most women only knew him for that reason.

But he didn't remember her. Not even a flicker.

Had he slept with many women that he no longer remembered them?

Honestly, he thought he had already known the answer to that question because it was standing right in front of him.

He was starting to sweat. "Of course I remember you." He swallowed roughly against the lie.

She laughed. It tinkled in the small space, which felt like it was getting smaller by the second.

"Wow. Was I that forgettable?" Hurt flashed through her eyes. "It was less than a week ago when you were in my bed, screwing me senseless. But I guess it makes sense that you didn't call me if you had forgotten me the moment you left my place. I'm guessing that's why you snuck out while I was still sleeping."

Damon narrowed his eyes.

Less than a week ago? The only woman he had slept with this past week was the waitress from Friday—but she was a redhead—and this blonde in front of him…

Oh, hell no.

Dragonville. The shirt-writer.

"Dragonville," Damon blurted out, feeling a shot of familiarity, the more he stared at her face. "You wrote on my shirt."

"That's me. And my name is Lexi," she said in a haughty voice. She folded her arms over her chest. "I'm the girl from Dragonville who you hooked up with last week and never called."

"And you are…" Damon couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"Elena's PA," she finished for him.

Oh, hell no. Just hell no.

The elevator pinged its arrival, and the door opened, but Damon couldn't stop staring at Lexi. The shirt-writer from Dragonville.

It was like the worst kind of joke. It would be funny if it wasn't so goddamn bad.

"Oh, hey!" The chipper tone in Elena's voice made Damon jumped. "You two have already met."

He turned his head to look at Elena standing there, outside the elevator, smiling and looking sexy as hell, and his heart skipped a beat.

For goodness sake, he cursed silently.

He didn't know the shirt-writer was going to be Elena's PA when he slept with her. But he somehow didn't think Elena would see it that way.

"Yes, we have already met," Lexi said in a sweet tone. But there was nothing sweet about the look in her eyes as she walked past him and out of the elevator. She looked like she either wanted to punch him in the mouth or kiss him. Either way, it was not good.

"You staying in there?" Elena chuckled, bringing his eyes to hers.

"No."

Damon stepped out, and Elena got in the elevator.

"Oh, Damon, can we chat later? I have got an idea that I want to run by you."

"Sure. I'm here all day," Damon said. His mouth was dry. He felt like he was talking through cotton wool.

"Great. I will call Rose and have her schedule me in." She reached over and pushed the elevator button.

His eyes moved to the retreating figure of Lexi going through the door to the executive offices.

Damon held back the sigh he felt.

"Hey." The sound of Elena's soft voice pulled him back. She was watching him, a little furrow in her brows, her head tilted to the side. "You okay?"

What should he say?

 _Well, let's see. The woman I slept with last week after I got hammered because I was pissed about you coming to work here—thus being the reason I was late to our meeting, where I found she had also left me a sex note on the back of my shirt—is now working here, for you. That kind of puts a kink in my strict rule of never sleeping with employees. And, also, I can't get you out of my mind because I want you so badly._

 _So, to answer your question, no, I'm not okay._

"Yep." Damon smiled at her. "I'm great. I will see you later." He turned and walked in the direction of his office.

Rose wasn't at her desk when he got there, and for once, he was relieved not to see her, as conversation wasn't something he was up for at the moment.

He got into the safety of his office, closed the door, and leaned back against it. He covered his face with his hands and let out a groan.

What the hell.

What were the odds? First, Elena, the girl who hated his guts in college, came here and took half of his job. And, now, his recent one-night stand was here, working for her.

He swore to God. It was the most terrible kind of joke.

Damon spent the rest of the day hiding out in his office.

He didn't want to run into Lexi. Or Elena. Or his mother.

His mother was like a sniffer dog when it came to knowing there was an issue with him.

She still had not fully forgiven him for the whole shirt incident, so he definitely didn't want her knowing that it was Lexi's handiwork.

Elena wanted to see him, and when she called to schedule a meeting, Damon had Rose told her something had come up and that he couldn't see her until tomorrow.

Rose raised a brow when he told her to blow Elena off until tomorrow, but she never questioned his motives.

He just didn't want to face Elena right now.

He was all confused about wanting her.

And, also, he needed time to figure out how to handle Lexi's problem.

He could be overreacting; maybe there wouldn't be a problem at all.

Oh, who was he kidding? There would definitely be an issue. He saw the look in Lexi's eyes as she left the elevator. In her mind, he had run out on her while she slept, and he apparently never called her.

The problem was he could hardly anything about that night.

And Damon knew women, especially pissed off women, and Lexi was definitely pissed at him.

He needed to carefully handle her; otherwise, she could cause him a headache at work—namely, with his mother and Elena—and he could really do without that.

His focus needed to be on being the best CEO, but all his time at the moment seemed to be swallowed up with women.

When did his life become so complicated?

Oh, yeah, the day Elena Gilbert came back into it.

* * *

 **Sorry for letting you guys/gals wait for a few day before I post another new chapter...Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews. I'm so glad my readers are enjoying this Delena story as much as I do. I promise I will try to improve my writing and I will continue to write Delena stories as long as you guys/gals will read my stories:)**


	6. Chapter 6

Damon decided to leave work early. He needed to clear his head and let off some steam, so he had arranged to meet Enzo in the Mystic Park to shoot some hoops.

Damon loved the Mystic Park He and Enzo been going there to play ball since they were kids. Alaric was still at work, as Damon should be, but he was going to meet them for a drink later—a non-alcoholic drink. It was drinking during the week that got Damon into the mess he was currently in.

He was at the court before Enzo, so he set his bag and water bottle down on the courtside and started shooting some hoops on his own.

He started dribbling the ball, and then he stopped, turned, and shot. The ball went through the net.

He jogged over and retrieved it, continuing to shoot hoops, while he waited for Enzo to arrive.

Damon wiped his forehead with his hand. He was starting to sweat already, and he had barely gotten started. It was warm though. He was thankful that he had changed into gym shorts and T-shirt before leaving the office.

He lined up to take another shot when the sound of Enzo's voice behind him stopped him. "Fifty bucks says you miss."

Damon glanced at him over his shoulder. "Hundred, and you are on."

Enzo dropped his bag to the floor and nodded, accepting the bet.

Damon took the shot, and it went in.

"Lucky boy." Enzo chuckled.

"Skilled boy, you mean." Damon laughed. "You should know never to bet against me on hoops, Enzo. I never miss." He walked over and got the ball, tossing it to Enzo. "Double or nothing that you miss."

Enzo flipped him off. "Say good-bye to your Franklins."

He took the shot, and the ball hit the hoop and bounced off.

Damon laughed

"Shut up," Enzo said. "There's something wrong with this ball."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, man."

Damon caught the ball as Enzo tossed it to him, and without pause, he shot, and it went straight through. "What were you saying about the ball?"

"You are a dick," Enzo grunted.

Damon laughed as he got the ball and handed it over to Enzo.

"So, what's up?" Enzo asked Damon as he lined up his next shot.

"What makes you think anything's up?"

"It is Tuesday afternoon, and you are here with me, shooting hoops. You are usually chained to your office desk at this time. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that something's wrong. I'm going to go with…Elena." He took a shot and missed.

"Kind of." Damon sighed. He went to get the ball and passed it back to Enzo to try again.

"I thought things were going okay with her. You said she was cool."

"She is cool." Damon paused and looked at Enzo. "But she might not be when she finds out that I boned her new assistant."

Enzo's eyes widened, and he laughed. "You didn't."

"I did. And it is not funny, man."

"It kind of is." Enzo took a shot, and it went in. "What happened to your no-screwing-at-work rule? She must be hot as hell to get you to break that."

Damon went over to retrieve the ball. "I didn't break the rule—technically. You know the woman who wrote on my shirt? Well, it's her. Elena hired her to be her new PA."

"Damn." Enzo laughed again, louder this time. "All of the women in Richmond, and Elena hires her."

"I know, right? And, now, I don't know what to do. Should I tell Elena or not?" Damon lifted the ball in his hands, lined up, and threw. The ball went through the hoop.

"She is not your girlfriend, dude," Enzo said as he went to get the ball. "You just work together. What you do in your private life is your business…unless…"

His brows raised, and Damon knew what he was thinking. He was thinking Damon had slept with Elena.

"Jesus, man," Damon scowled at his friend. "I haven't touched Elena, and I'm not going to." But, he knew he lied.

"Why not? You said she was hot."

"She is, but I work with her. And, now, her PA is an ex-conquest. It just makes things awkward."

"Only if you let it. You don't plan on sleeping with this chick…"

"Lexi."

"You don't plan on sleeping with Lexi again?"

"Definitely not."

"And she hasn't made any noise about you and her sleeping together?"

"Well, I only saw her today—"

"Dude, if she was going to tell Elena that you had sex with her, she would have by now."

"True."

"She probably doesn't want Elena to know as much as you don't. I mean, who would want their new boss knowing that they screwed the other CEO a week ago?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah, you are right."

"I'm always right."

Enzo lifted the ball, aimed, and took the shot. It went in. "You have got nothing to worry about." He patted Damon's shoulder as he passed him by, going to retrieve the ball.

"Yeah," Damon said, hoping his friend was right.

Damon decided to man up and have the meeting with Elena. If he kept putting her off, she would know something was up.

And Enzo was right; he had nothing to worry about. He hadn't done anything wrong. He slept with Lexi before she started working here. He couldn't have known she was going to apply for a job here and that Elena was going to give it to her. He did need to have a conversation with Lexi to smooth things over, but he would get to that later.

First, Elena.

She was due in his office in ten minutes. It was close to lunchtime. Damon didn't know if Elena had lunch plans, but he had asked Rose to grab some pastries from the deli by the building. He knew Elena used to work at Starbucks, but he didn't know if she was a coffee or tea drinker, so Rose made up both and set it up along with the pastries on the small meeting table he had in his office.

Damon was replying to some outstanding emails when there was a tap on his door. It opened before he could say anything, revealing Elena.

It was strange. He felt like he hadn't seen her in forever—when, in reality, it was only yesterday morning.

She looked gorgeous.

Her hair was down and curled. She was wearing a fitted black scoop-neck top, with a beige-and-black calf-length skirt that had a mid-thigh split over the left leg and a thick, chunky black belt that had a gold buckle.

She had great legs. Long, tan, and toned. She looked stunning in that outfit.

Elena had always worn pants in college, so Damon had never got the privilege of seeing her legs. Probably a good thing, as it would have driven him nuts, knowing she had legs like that and he would never get to touch them because she hated his guts.

And he would still never get to touch them.

Sigh.

"Hi." Elena smiled, clutching an iPad to her chest.

"Hey. Take a seat." Damon forced a smile and gestured to the meeting table. "I just need to quickly finish this email."

"Sure. No problem."

He finished the email and pressed Send. Then, he got up from his desk, went over, and took a seat across from her.

"This is nice." She nodded at the food.

"I didn't know if you had anything planned for lunch, so I had Rose bring something in just in case." Damon shrugged to give off the air of casualness. Why though, he didn't know. He shouldn't care if she had lunch plans or not, should he?

Then, it suddenly occurred to Damon that he actually knew nothing about Elena's life outside of work.

He knew she was not married or engaged because there was no ring, but that didn't mean she didn't have a boyfriend. And women like her, smart and beautiful, didn't stay single for long.

It shouldn't matter to Damon if she was dating someone or not, should it?

"Just a sandwich at my desk, so this is great. Thanks."

She smiled, and something in his chest lit up.

What the hell was wrong with him?

He felt like a teenager on his first date. Not a grown-up man in a business meeting with his co-CEO.

She poured herself a coffee. Damon liked that she felt comfortable enough around him to do that.

"Coffee or tea for you?" Elena asked.

"Coffee all the way. I don't drink tea. I just had Rose make it, as I wasn't sure what you liked."

"I'm like you, a coffee drinker. My body goes into shock if I go at least an hour without my fix."

"Noted."

Damon watched as she poured creamer into her cup.

"You take creamer?" she asked, holding it up.

"Please."

She poured creamer into his cup and then handed it over.

"Thanks. You get first dibs on the pastries, seeing as though you made coffee."

Looking over the plate with them, Elena bit her lip, and Damon's heart skipped a beat.

"Their éclairs are amazing," he told her.

Her eyes met his. "And you wouldn't mind if I had it? There is only one."

Damon picked it up, put it on a napkin, and handed it over.

The smile Elena gave him was dazzling. It warmed his insides.

She took bite. Her eyes closed as she made a sound of appreciation that made his heart skipped another beat.

"That is so good," she murmured, eyes opening as she chewed.

Damon blinked back at her. His mouth was suddenly dry. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip.

"Told you they were good," he finally got the words out.

"Don't tell me where Rose got them from; otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from going and getting more."

Damon chuckled.

"Seriously, I'm going to have to do an extra ten minutes on the treadmill tomorrow to burn this off."

"You work out?" Damon picked up a raspberry macaron and took a bite.

He looked at her, and she was staring back at him with a look in her eyes that he couldn't quite decipher. She nodded and put the éclair down on the napkin. Then, she goy another and wiped her hands on it.

"Do you use the office gym?"

"No." She curled her hand around her coffee cup and lifted it to her lips.

Damon watched her, confused. She was fine a second ago, but now, she had gone quiet. He didn't know why. What he did know was that he didn't like it.

"You should use the office gym. It is free to employees."

"I will bear that in mind." Her eyes went down to the table, looking at the iPad she brought with her. She picked it up. "I don't want to take up too much of your time, so I will get to the reason I'm here."

"Elena," Damon said.

Elena lifted her eyes to him.

"Did I say something to upset you?"

"No. But we should get on with this, as I know you are busy, and I have another meeting with accounting to get to soon."

"Okay."

Damon picked up his coffee again and gestured for her to take the lead. She did call for this meeting after all.

"So, I have an idea about us branching out into the D-plus-sized area of the bra industry. And I know this is something you have probably thought of in the past, and I know the reasons you have never moved into the area, but just hear me out."

Elena was right. Damon did think of it and decided against it, mostly based on cost.

"I'm listening." He put his coffee down and gave her his full focus.

"Okay, so there are lingerie companies that sell luxury bras for bigger-breasted woman, D-plus sizes. And companies like ours sell luxury bras for sizes A through D. But there are no companies that sell all sizes. The luxury-branded stores for D-plus-sized women are expensive, and I know the reason for this—cost of materials. That is why we and other lingerie companies have never moved into that area, but I think there is a way for us to do this without adding the big price tag to the D-plus sizes. No other luxury lingerie company has done this. We would be the first and the only."

"So, you are saying that you have a cost-effective way for us to make D-plus-sized bras?"

"Yes."

"You have got my attention."

Elena smiled, and Damon felt like he had won something.

"So, a few years ago, Forever sent me to Thailand to meet with some new potential suppliers. While I was there, I was wandering around a market in Bangkok, and I came across a silk supplier."

"There are a lot of suppliers of silk in Thailand."

It was the truth. Thailand was responsible for the global distribution of around seven hundred metric tons of silk per annum.

Even though Thailand was not the world's largest supplier of silk, they were still pretty significant.

And the fact that Elena thought finding a silk supplier in Thailand was big news kind of worried him, as she came from a clothing background.

"I'm well aware of that." Elena rolled her eyes. And Damon had to stifle a laugh. "And I also know of the cost the larger suppliers charge per meter. And I'm telling you that I know of a smaller supplier that will sell us silk charmeuse for fifty cents cheaper than what you are paying our current supplier from China."

That got Damon's attention. He sat up a little straighter and ran the costs in his head.

"What's the name of the supplier?" Damon asked her.

"Ananda."

"I have never heard of them."

"Like I said, they are a small supplier. They sell more to local companies."

"Small would be a problem since we would need large amounts of silk."

"But what if we stayed with our current supplier in China for the A-to-D-sized bras and bought the silk from Ananda for the D-plus sizes? In the beginning, that size would be in smaller demand until business increased."

"Does Forever use them as a supplier?"

Elena shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because they weren't interested in a small supplier. They went with a bigger supplier with a quicker turnaround time even though the cost difference was significant. But I think we can work with the turnaround time. We are in no rush. We can place an order with Ananda and get the production moving. If the business grows for us, they can hire more staff to cope with the increasing demand, and because the product is cheaper, the cost for the D-plus bras will be the same as the A-to-D-sized bras. And, maybe going forward, if Ananda could expand their production size, then we could shift all purchases of silk charmeuse to them. But that's a conversation for another time. Right now, I really think we can do this, Damon. I truly do."

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Damon felt it bleeding into him, giving him that thrill that could only come from a great business deal.

"What's the quality of the product like?" he asked her.

Elena put her hand in the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a piece of white silk. She handed it to Damon. It had a flower stitched into it. "It is a handkerchief that Niran, the owner of Ananda, gave to me as a gift. It is a few years old, so the quality is not as good as it was. And don't worry; it is clean. I haven't wiped my nose on it today." She laughed softly.

Damon met her eyes and laughed. "Good to know."

He ran his fingers over the material, rubbing it between his fingers. "You said this is a few years old?"

"Yes," she replied.

"This is really good silk," he said to her.

"I know."

Damon looked up at her, meeting her eyes. They were twinkling and smiling.

And, his heart was racing again. At the thought of the new business and increase in sales but mostly because of her. Just her.

"I think you have something here," he told her.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Damon nodded. "I'm impressed. I have always wanted to expand the business of Lady Boss and lingerie is one of the products I would like to expand. You have come up with a great business idea, and you have only been here just over a week."

"I'm awesome. What can I say?"

Elena gave a playful shrug, leaning back in her chair, and Damon chuckled.

"But, seriously, I was thinking of more cost-effective ways for bringing in materials when I was still at Forever. I just brought that mindset here with me, and after looking at the supplier information over this past week, it just stood out to me, knowing about Ananda."

"It is brilliant."

"If it works."

"You losing confidence in your idea already?" Damon tipped his head to the side, his lips lifting at the corners.

"No, just playing it safe until I have the deal in the bag. I don't want to get excited about it in case it doesn't happen."

"I get that." Damon nodded, handing her the handkerchief back.

Elena tucked it into her pocket. "I'm guessing we need to present this idea to your parents."

"Yeah, we should run it past them. They are technically still here in a chief officer capacity until the end of this week. And it is their company. I will call them and set something up."

"Great." Elena picked up her iPad, pushed her chair back, and stood. "Well, just let me know when and where, and I will be there."

Damon was dismayed to see that she was leaving already. He felt like he needed to keep her here even if just for a little longer.

Funny how he was dodging to see her, and now that he had her here, he didn't want her to go.

"So, you are heading to another meeting now?" He stood, too, and walked over to his desk.

"Yep. Just with accounting."

"Tim or Justin?"

"Tim."

"You will probably need another coffee then to keep you awake. The guy is boring as hell."

Elena giggled, and Damon loved the sound.

"Are you supposed to talk about your employees like that?"

"No. But the guy put me to sleep in a meeting once, so it is only fair to give you warning."

She laughed again. "Thanks for the heads-up. I will make sure to have an industrial-strength coffee before I go in."

Elena was heading for the door. And Damon was still not ready to let her go.

He had to do something.

"So, any plans tonight?"

"Any plans tonight?"

Jesus. Could he be any more transparent?

Elena paused and regarded Damon with a tilt of her head. "Yep. I have a date with Jamie Fraser."

Disappointment landed in his chest like rocks. So, she did have a boyfriend. Of course she did. She was gorgeous.

"Jamie…is he your boyfriend?"

Elena barked out a laugh. "I wish." At his puzzled expression, she said, "He is a character in a show—Outlander. I'm guessing you have never heard of it."

"Nope. What is it about?"

"Kind of hard to explain, but it is about this woman who goes back in time to the 1700s in Scotland. And, once there, she meets Jamie Fraser. The hot Scottish warrior. It's based on a series of books."

"Sounds interesting."

She laughed again.

"Does your boyfriend like it?"

That stopped her laughter. And Damon wanted to punch himself in the face.

"Does your boyfriend like it?"

Elena appraising him with her eyes again. A small smile touched her lips. "I don't have a boyfriend."

Pressure lifted off his chest.

"Oh. Cool. Well, have fun tonight with Jamie Fraser." Damon moved around his desk and sat down.

Elena smiled, clutching the iPad to her chest. "I will. You, too. Have a good night, that is."

She turned, and Damon watched her leave, the door closing behind her.

Could he have been any more obvious just then? Jesus. He was so off his game, it was ridiculous.

But Damon knew he couldn't be on his game. Not with Elena. She was off-limits, no matter how much he didn't want her to be.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and kind reviews. Because of my readers I have the motivation to carry on writing Delena stories:) Enjoy and keep watching the space...**


	7. Chapter 7

Damon and Elena were having dinner with Giuseppe and Lillian. When Damon called his mother to tell her that Elena had come up with a great idea for the business, Lillian suggested a dinner meeting. He checked with Elena to see if she was free, and she was, so they were meeting at his parents' favourite restaurant—Stardust.

Damon took a cab from his place. When he arrived, he was the first one there. The hostess seated him, and he gave the drink order—beer for him and a bottle of red for the table.

"Hey." Elena slipped into the seat beside him, putting her clutch on the table.

Damon turned his eyes to look at her, and—

Damn.

She was wearing a black lace dress. Her lips are red, hair down and straight, falling past her shoulders.

She looked gorgeous as hell.

His heart started racing again.

It was going to be hard not to look at her tonight.

Damon smiled at her. "Hey. You look nice."

"Oh. Thanks. You, too."

Damon was wearing a dark blue shirt, and black pants.

"I was worried I was going to be the last one here. Traffic was a nightmare."

"You drove?"

"Took a cab." She smiled.

"What do you want to drink? I ordered a bottle of red for the table, but I wasn't sure what you would want."

"I'm not a red-wine drinker. Gives me the worst hangovers."

Damon waved the waitress over.

"What can I get you?" the waitress asked Elena.

"I will have a vodka, soda, and lime, please."

The waitress swivelled on her heel and disappeared off.

Damon found it hard not to stare at Elena. The woman sitting next to him.

The woman he worked with.

The woman he wanted to kiss more than he had ever wanted to kiss anyone before.

What was wrong with him?

"Did you mention anything about my idea to your parents?"

Damon shook his head. "I thought you would want to tell them."

Elena smiled at him, her eyes warming, and he got the feeling again, like he had won something really important.

The waitress appeared with his beer, the red wine, and Elena's drink.

"Thanks," Elena said to the waitress as the drink was put in front of her.

Her attention was back on Damon, but his eyes had never left her.

They were staring at one another, and Damon felt like he should say something.

"I like your dress."

"Thanks."

"I wonder what it is about black lace that stirs a man's blood?" he mused aloud.

"I should think you would be able to answer that question more easily than I could since you are very definitely a man." Elena regretted immediately when the words came out from her mouth. "This is not what I meant…" Her face was bright red now, and Damon was as amused as he was turned on. "Oh Christ. You know what I meant." She picked up her drink and took a big gulp.

Damon chuckled. "You noticed." He was enjoying seeing her squirm.

Elena put her drink down but didn't look at him.

He moved a little closer, and in a lowered voice, he said, "I wouldn't mind seeing you in black lace all the time."

Her eyes whipped to his but she didn't look offended. She looked…interested, and there was a definite hint of desire in there, too. And, right now, it was hard to remember why he couldn't kiss her.

Her breathing had gone shallow, like his own.

It felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of this place along with everything else.

Nothing existed to Damon right now, except for her.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. His eyes were pulled to it.

Damon wanted to kiss her.

And he knew Elena definitely wanted him to.

He lifted his eyes back to hers. "Before, when I said you looked nice, what I was actually thinking is that you looked gorgeous."

Elena caught her breath. "Really?"

Damn it. He was going to do it. He was going to kiss her.

"Damon!" The sound of Lillian's voice pierced right through the moment.

Elena's eyes widened with shock, and she moved away from Damon.

Damon cursed silently and his heart was hammering in his chest.

"Mum, Dad," he said, rising to kiss his mother's cheek. He got a pat on the back in greeting from his father.

Elena stood, too. Her cheeks were flushed. "Hi, Mr Salvatore, Mrs Salvatore," she greeted them. Damon noticed that her voice sounded as shaky as he felt.

"It's Giuseppe and Lillian. How many times do I have to tell you?" Lillian's good-naturedly chided her. Then, she leaned over and kissed Elena's cheek.

His parents took the seats across from them. Giuseppe pulled out Lillian's chair for her and waited while she sat, like he always did.

"Sorry we are late," Lillian said.

"You are not late," Damon told her.

But he wished they had been. Then, he might have—no, he would have kissed Eena. And he didn't know whether to be pissed or relieved that he didn't get to kiss her. Because kissing Elena would be a bad idea.

Not the kissing part. That would be amazing; Damon had no doubt about that. It was the after that would be bad. The awkwardness of the fact that they worked together. They ran the company together. He couldn't kiss her, and he definitely couldn't sleep with her.

So, it was good that they were interrupted.

The waitress appeared again and asked for Lillian and Giuseppe's drink orders.

The whole time she was at the table, taking their orders, Damon realised that Elena hadn't looked at him. Not once.

And it was pissing him off.

He wanted to know what she was thinking.

Was she relieved that they didn't kiss? Or did she wish they had?

And he had turned into a thirteen-year-old girl.

Even still, Damon nudged her knee with his, forcing her to look at him.

Elena lifted those gorgeous eyes to his. They were expressionless. In complete contrast to how she was looking at him a few minutes ago.

Damon had an odd urge to see that desire in her eyes again.

"You okay?" he whispered to her.

She nodded and then turned back to the table, opening one of the menus the waitress just brought.

Damon didn't like it. He was guessing she was relieved they didn't kiss.

And if that didn't just piss him right off.

"So, Elena," Giuseppe said, "Damon tells us you have come up with a business idea."

"Giuseppe, let's order our food before we talk business," Lillian said.

Damon chuckled and picked up his own menu, trying to decide on what he wanted to eat, but it was hard to focus when he was so distracted by Elena sitting next to him. The scent of her perfume. The way she brushed her hair back with her hand as she leaned forward to read the menu. Her finger running down the list of dishes. The way she nibbled her lip in thought.

He had wanted to nibble that lip. No, he wanted to bite that lip.

He wanted to kiss that mouth and suck on her tongue and make her moan. And—

 _Stop. You have to stop thinking about her, Damon!_

They all decided on food and placed their orders with the waitress, who indecently dropped a small piece of paper into Damon's lap as she passed him by.

Damon looked up at her, and she smiled and winked at him.

 _Sorry woman, not happening._

When he turned back, he saw Elena staring at him with barely concealed disgust in her eyes. She immediately looked away. He glanced at his parents to see if they saw, but they were too busy talking to realize that the waitress dropped him a note.

He wanted to tell Elena that he had no intention of reading the note, which he was guessing had her digits on it or a message like, _Meet me in the restroom in five minutes._

This wasn't the first time a waitress had dropped him a note.

But he couldn't say anything to Elena in front of his parents.

Even if he could say something, what would he say?

He was not going to sleep with the waitress because he wanted to sleep with her.

No, he couldn't say that.

But Damon didn't want her to think that he would call the waitress after they had finished here. So, he picked the note up and tore it up into small pieces over the table.

"What's that you are tearing up?" Lillian asked.

"Just a receipt," Damon told her. Then, he dropped the small pieces of paper into the glass candleholder that had a tea light candle burning in it, letting the pieces of paper burn up.

"Damon!" Lillian chastised. "You will start a fire." She started wafting her hands over the candle.

"That won't start a fire." Giuseppe chuckled. "But you will, fanning it like that."

Damon chuckled as Lillian pulled her hands back.

He looked at Elena. She didn't look back at him, but she knew that he was staring at her.

Giuseppe picked up his drink and had a sip. "So, the food has been ordered. Now, I'm really interested in hearing this idea of yours, Elena. It is the reason we are here."

Elena smiled at Giuseppe. "Okay."

She glanced at Damon, and he gave her a look of encouragement, which seemed to brighten her eyes. She looked back to his parents and started talking. She told them everything she told Damon with the same level of enthusiasm that had him burning for her again.

Damon couldn't take his eyes off her as she talked. He was enthralled.

He had never felt anything like this for a woman before. And he knew he was in trouble because he had realized that it was not only this woman's face and body that turned him on. It was her mind, too. She was smart. The way she lit up when she talked about work turned him on in a way no other woman ever had.

Damon might want to sleep with her, but he wanted to talk to Elena more. He wanted to know her.

She finished talking, and his parents staring at her—smiles on their faces, exactly like Damon was wearing when Elena first told him her idea.

"I knew you were smart, Elena. That's why we wanted you to come work for us," Lillian said "But this…after being with us for only a short time." She looked at Giuseppe, as if needing his help with words.

"We have talked about this in the past, wanting to break into this part of the market, but we could never make the figures work. But, if you are telling us that you have a way to make this work without losing product quality…" Giuseppe leaned back in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table. "Brilliant, Elena. Really brilliant."

With Elena bringing this great thing to the table, Damon was expecting to experience some level of jealousy on his part, purely because his parents had brought her in and given her half of his job. And, now, she was living up to their high expectations.

But he didn't feel jealous. He actually felt…proud. Like Elena was somehow his to be proud of.

 _But she is not yours, asshole. She is your business partner and nothing more._

Elena looked at Damon, the praise lighting up her eyes.

And he had never wanted to kiss her more than he did right now.

He shoved the thought away. "I told you they'd love it," he said to her.

Her smile softened on him.

Damon's heart started to thud in his chest.

Then, she looked away.

A moment later, the waitress turned up with their food, putting plates in front of them.

When the waitress was gone, Giuseppe picked his knife and fork up. "I want you both on this." He pointed his knife at Damon and then Elena.

Damon glanced at Elena to see how she felt about this. She was smiling, so he took that as a good thing.

"I want the both of you to draw up a proposal for this, pros and cons, and send them to me by Monday at the latest."

Damon met Elena's twinkling eyes.

"Sure thing," Elena said.

Damon grinned, and she smiled at him.

Dragging his eyes from her, he picked up his knife and fork.

And he wouldn't deny that he was thrilled at the prospect of having to work closely with Elena on this over the next few days—maybe even the weekend, if he was lucky.

What the hell? He was actually wishing to miss out on his weekend plans, so he could spend time working with Elena.

Something was definitely wrong.

The only thing he could think was that he was in definite lust with her. That, or she had done some kind of voodoo to him.

That was the only explanation he had right now as to why he had turned into an Elena-obsessed idiot.

They all left the restaurant together. Lillian and Giuseppe had a car waiting.

"Thanks for dinner," Elena said to Lillian and Giuseppe.

Lillian kissed her on the cheek. "See you soon," she said before climbing in the car.

"I'm looking forward to seeing that proposal," Giuseppe said. "You want a ride?" he asked Damon, climbing in next to Lillian.

"Yeah, I will just grab Elena a cab."

"Oh, no need. I'm going to walk. I only live around the corner." She thumbed over her shoulder.

"I thought you got a cab here?" Damon said stupidly.

She smiled. "I came from the office. I was working late."

"Okay. Well, I will walk you home."

"You don't need to. It is not far."

"I don't give a damn if it is five steps away. I'm walking you," Damon firmly told her. "I'm walking Elena home," he told his parents, leaning into the car. "I will talk to you later."

He shut the car door.

He turned to Elena as his parents' car pulled away into traffic.

"You really don't have to walk me home," Elena said.

"I'm not letting you walk the streets of Richmond alone at night."

Elena glanced at her watch. "It is not that late."

"Hmm. Okay. So, you think murderers don't start work until it is super late?"

"I actually didn't know that murdering was a profession." Elena gave him a dry look.

"You are hilarious. And I'm serious, Elena. You shouldn't be walking around the city on your own at night."

When Damon looked at her, a smile was tugging at her lips, and she was shaking her head at him

He raised his brows. "What?"

"I just didn't realize that you had such strong feelings about women walking Richmond's streets alone."

"I don't. I just care about you walking these streets alone."

Something flashed across Elena's face. It was not happiness at his words. If anything, she looked annoyed, but it was gone too quickly for Damon to know for sure.

She stared ahead, wrapping her arms over her chest.

She wasn't wearing a coat, and a slight chill was in the air.

Damon didn't ask if she was cold because something told him that, right now, she would reject the offer of his jacket.

So, instead, he slid jacket off, keeping pace with her, and he stepped closer and hung it over her shoulders.

Elena stopped abruptly. Her eyes flashed to his.

"You looked cold," he said gently.

Her lips pressed together, like she was about to argue with him, so he was surprised when she said, "Thank you." Her words were soft, and they curled in around his chest and settled there.

She slipped her arms into his jacket.

It was huge on her. And the sight of her wearing his jacket set off something primal inside him.

Damon wanted to pick her up, carry her off to his lair, and do dirty, dirty things to her all-night long.

Heat flared in his groin, and he had to bite back a moan at the images flashing through his head.

Elena started walking again, and he followed, falling in step beside her.

Damon shoved his hands in his pants pockets to stop himself from doing something stupid, like grabbing her and kissing her right here on the street. He knew he couldn't do that to her, no matter how much he had wanted to.

They walked in silence for a while. He couldn't think of a thing to say, so he kept his mouth shut.

His parents loved her, and Damon knew they would be very upset if he screwed things up with her working for the business.

And Damon knew himself. He did screw things up.

Business, he was great at. Women, not so much.

"Your parents seemed…happy with my idea," Elena said softly.

Damon glanced at her. "They are happy with your idea. More than happy."

The smile that appeared at his words sparked alive every sexual feeling in his body like nothing ever had before.

Why did the one woman who excite him this much had to be the one woman he couldn't touch?

Damon tried to tell himself that that was the reason. Because he couldn't touch her.

But it was not.

It was her.

"So, I know you live in Richmond now, but where are you from originally?" A change of topic sounded like a great idea at that moment. "Where's home?"

"Mystic Falls," Elena said.

"Can't say I have ever been."

"You are not missing much." Her lips lifted at the corners.

"You didn't like it?"

"No, I love it. It is home. But it is not as"—she wafted her hands around, as though trying to find the words—"exciting as Richmond, if that's the right word to use."

"Exciting is as good as any word."

"You are from Richmond, right?" Elena said. It didn't sound so much like a question but more like a statement.

"Yep. Born and bred."

They continued walking on in silence, but it was not uncomfortable. It was actually nice.

Damon couldn't remember the last time he walked a woman home like this—without the promise of anything at the end of it.

There probably hadn't ever been a time. Because, when there was him and a woman in the mix, there was always sex at the end of it.

Except with Elena.

It was different. And he liked it.

He liked her.

"So…this is me." Elena came to a stop outside a three-story brownstone.

Looking up at the building, Damon asked, "Which apartment is yours?"

"Top floor."

"I will see you upstairs."

"I will be fine." She laughs softly. "My downstairs neighbour, Mrs Harrison, is like a Rottweiler. No one gets in this building if they don't live here."

"So, she wouldn't let me in?"

"Definitely not." Elena grinned up at him.

"I'm sure I could charm my way in."

Damon winked at her, and she laughed.

"I would like to see you try. Mrs Harrison is immune to bullshit."

That made Damon laughed. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement. Warmth spread across his chest.

Dammit, he wanted her. So badly.

"Oh, your jacket." Elena slipped it off and handed it to him.

Damon wanted to tell her to keep it, but there was no reason for him to say that without it seeming odd, so he took it from her.

"So…" She took a step back, and he wanted to follow her. "Thanks for walking me home."

"Anytime."

She seemed to hesitate. Then, she turned and walked up the steps. Damon watched her go. When she reached the top, she got her key from her clutch and unlocked the door. She opened it and then paused before turning back to him.

"I had a good time tonight."

Damon smiled at her. "Me, too."

"Good night, Damon."

"Night, Elena."

Damon watched her went inside, and the door shut safely behind her before he left.

For goodness sake.

He wanted her so badly. And it was getting harder not to act on his feelings. Leaving her just then was tough. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He wanted to take her inside her apartment…

But he couldn't. No matter how much he wanted her, he had to stay away.

And Damon hated that.

Maybe he should stick with his original plan of getting her ousted from the company. Then, he would get his job back, and he would also get to sleep with her.

 _Yeah, and that's probably the most selfish thought you have ever had, Damon Salvatore. You are such a dick, aren't you?_

As much as he hated to admit it, Elena was already shown herself to be a valuable asset to the company.

God, why didn't he just sleep with her all those years ago in Harvard?

 _Because she hated you, asshole._

How he hoped he could go back in time to make Elena see that he wasn't the total prick she thought he was.

But, unfortunately, he didn't have a time machine, so he was stuck in his perpetual hell of wanting her and not being able to have her.

He really needed to get laid.

But he knew, even if he went out to a bar now, picked up some chick, and screwed her for hours on end, it wouldn't change anything. He would still feel the same frustration.

Because he wanted Elena.

* * *

 **Happy Valentine's Day:) This whole chapter is all about Delena and I hope my readers will enjoy reading it as much as I do. Don't think I can keep on writing Delena stories without the support from you guys/gals. Really appreciate it!**

 **Have a wonderful day ahead!**


	8. Chapter 8

Damon stepped out of the shower in his office bathroom. He grabbed a towel, rubbed it over his hair to dry it off, and then wrapped it around his waist.

He did a workout in the office gym, and he was sweaty afterwards. There were showers down there, but he preferred to use his own. And it meant that he could jerk off.

That had become a regular occurrence for Damon over this past week.

Working with Elena on the proposal for her D-plus bras meant he was with her a lot. And, when the proposal was done, they put it forward to his parents. Of course, they gave the go-ahead, so they were well underway on project D-plus bras, meaning he was going to be working with Elena even more.

And, as awesome as that was and as much as Damon loved being with her and working with her, getting to know her better, the need of wanting her was becoming unbearable. And the only way to keep it under control and stop himself from hitting on her was to jerk off regularly.

Damon tried getting it on with someone else when he went out with Enzo and Alaric on Saturday night—this woman called Mandy or Brandy or something to that effect. She was a dancer and was all kinds of flexible, as she was keen to demonstrate. But he just wasn't into it.

The whole time, Damon had felt like he was trying to talk himself into eating store-brand candy because it was all that was on offer when what he really wanted was Hershey's.

Elena was his Hershey's.

And, apparently, he was on a diet.

Damon stood in front of the bathroom mirror. It was steamed up. He wiped a hand over it, clearing it, and stared at himself.

He could see the lines of stress caused by his frustration etched around his eyes.

Solely wanting Elena was even causing him premature aging.

For god's sake.

Damon dropped his forehead against the mirror and let out a groan.

It hurt so much wanting someone so badly.

He stood back, away from the mirror, and decided to get dressed.

But, when Damon opened the door and stepped out of his bathroom and into his office, as he left his work clothes in there, he was halted in his tracks, finding Lexi sitting on the edge of his desk, waiting for him.

"Hi," Damon said slowly, cautiously. What did she want now?

"Hi." She smiled, like it was not odd that she was here, in his office.

"Where's Rose?" he asked.

Lexi shrugged. "Lunch, if I had to guess."

Great. So, he was here alone with Lexi. And he was dressed in nothing but a towel.

Damon hadn't had a chance to have a talk with Lexi. He had been too busy. Mostly working with Elena on the proposal. And, on the few occasions that he had seen Lexi, he had been with Elena, and that was definitely not a chat he was having around Elena.

"So, um…what are you doing in here, Lexi?" Damon curled his fingers into the waistband of his towel, getting a firm hold on it.

"I want to talk."

And, from the way her eyes dragged down his body, and how she grazed her teeth over her lower lip, Damon knew talking was not the only thing she wanted to do.

As if his life wasn't messed up enough as it was, he had to deal with this now.

"Well, just let me get dressed, and we can talk."

Damon started to move across the room to grab his clothes, but Lexi hopped off his desk, blocking his path.

"Lexi…" His tone was a warning.

But it was one that Lexi didn't heed because she advanced on him. Damon backed up because he didn't know what else to do, and before he knew it, his back was against the wall, and she was pressed up against him.

"I thought you would come for me, but you haven't, and I'm bored of waiting, Damon. So, I'm here to take what I want. And I want you."

Ah, damn.

Lexi trailed a finger down his chest, and Damon caught hold of her wrist.

She didn't look pissed off. In fact, she looked excited.

"It's not going to happen, Lexi."

Her eyes flickered with dislike, but she didn't move away.

"Why?"

"I'm your boss."

"Elena is my boss," she countered.

Damon had to hold back a sigh.

"I'm CEO; therefore, I'm your superior. And I don't fraternize with the staff. Ever."

"You have already fraternized with me."

Lexi grinned and bit the corner of her lip. But Damon didn't find it remotely sexy. She was no Elena.

"You didn't work here then," he told her.

She moved even closer to him, and now, there wasn't any space left between her body and his.

"No one has to know," she whispered, inching up onto her toes. "We could do it right now. You could go wild on me, and no one would ever know."

Damon bit back another sigh. He was trying to be as diplomatic as possible, but this woman just wasn't getting it.

"I would know. And it just doesn't sit right with me. Sure, we had fun once. But I don't want to go there again with you."

"Your body says different." Lexi reached down and squeezed his erect male hardness through the towel.

Of course Damon was hard. He hadn't had sex in a while, and a good-looking woman was pressed up against him. But the woman in front of him was not Elena Gilbert. He wanted nobody except Elena.

He grabbed hold of Lexi's other wrist and pulled her hand off.

Damon had both her arms in his hands. And Lexi was clearly not getting it because she smiled in a way that he was sure she thought was sexy, but it was doing nothing for him. Then, she pressed her hips firmly against him and grinded against him.

What the hell was wrong with this woman? Why didn't she get it that he wasn't interested?

His towel dropped to the floor.

And it was at that exact moment when there was a tap on his door, followed by the sound of Elena's voice as she opened it up and walked in. "Hey, sorry to—" Her words instantly cut off at the sight of Damon and Lexi.

Damon was up against the wall, naked as the day he was born, with Lexi pressed up against him, his hands wrapped around her wrists, holding her.

For goodness sake.

In the long seconds that passed, a multitude of emotions flashed through Elena's eyes. Anger, disgust, disappointment…but the one emotion Damon got stuck on was hurt.

She was hurt by the sight of him with Lexi.

Was that because she wanted him like he wanted her?

Everything was telling Damon yes.

And he didn't know whether to feel elated or terrified by that thought.

"Ele—" He didn't even get a chance to finish saying her name.

Elena turned and walked out of his office, slamming the door behind her.

"Oops." Lexi giggled.

Damon's eyes narrowed, lit with anger. He firmly moved her back and bent down to get his towel off the floor, wrapping it back around his waist.

He stared at her. "Get the hell out of my office. Now. And, if I ever catch you in here like that again, you are fired."

"You can't just fire me." Her hands went to her hips, eyes widened.

"I can. And I will." Damon took a menacing step towards her. "If you ever cross the line like that again, I will have your ass out on the street before you can say pink slip." He walked over and pick up his shirt from where he left it on the sofa along with the rest of his clothes. "Oh, and sexual harassment charges aren't just against men, you know."

Worry sparked in Lexi's eyes. "You wouldn't…"

"I would. And good luck explaining to Elena what just happened."

Defiance narrowed Lexi's eyes along with something else, something Damon was not quite sure of…until she said, "Well, I guess I will just have to tell Elena the truth—that we have slept together already. I'm sure she would love to hear all about that. And maybe I will tell her that we have been screwing all along." She smirked, trailing her finger over her cleavage.

Damn.

Lexi knew he had a thing for Elena.

Damn. Damn. Damn

Damon shrugged like he didn't care. But the truth was, his heart was hammering in his chest.

He yanked his shirt on and did up the buttons. "Go home," he told Lexi, his voice hard. "I will talk to Elena."

Lexi smiled like she had won something. Because she had. She had won this round.

"I will see you in the morning, Damon." Then, she sashayed out of his office, the door closing firmly behind her.

* * *

 **Oh dear! Damon is in trouble, isn't he? What is going to happen to our favourite couple?**

 **Thank you so much for the support and kind review:)**


	9. Chapter 9

_Nine years ago_

You could try to ignore something…someone…your own feelings. But you were not really ignoring them; you were just pretending you were.

And Elena had gotten really good at pretending.

Pretending that she couldn't stand Damon Salvatore. Pretending that her heart didn't beat a little faster every time she saw him. Pretending that her heart didn't sink when she saw him with a girl.

Pretending that her crush hadn't turned into real feelings for him. Because how could she have feelings for a jackass like him? It didn't make sense. So, therefore, the feelings couldn't be real. Right?

Elena was damn good at pretending. And she figured, if she kept on like this, one day, her pretence would just stick. It would become reality.

Avoidance was a great tool. If she didn't see him much, then she didn't have to fake it at all.

But life was a joke sometimes.

Damon and she had been paired together to do an assignment for their Economics class.

They only needed to do one study session together, so they could figure out which part each of them would do. But the thought of one session—just she and him, one-on-one—felt like the best and worst kind of torture.

Elena was great at pretending to herself and everyone else, but she didn't know if she would be able to pretend if it was just Damon and her. And he couldn't ever know that she had feelings for him.

Elena couldn't imagine the fun he and his friends would have if he knew she had feelings for him.

Gilbert the stuck-up bitch had a thing for Damon Salvatore.

Gilbert the stuck-up bitch was the nickname that Damon had for her. Not the most original. He didn't say it to her face, but she had ears. And she couldn't say that it didn't bother her because it did.

Not that Damon cared about her feelings.

The only thing he cared about was sleeping with as many girls as possible.

Frankly speaking, Elena was not looking forward to this study session with him.

And, when her boss asked her if she could stay a few more hours, as one of the girls had called in sick, Elena had said yes. Not only would the extra cash come in handy, but it also delayed the inevitable a little longer.

And, now, straight from work, she was on her way to Damon's house, which was where they were meeting. She did try to book a room at the library, but they were all full, and she definitely didn't want Damon in her dorm room. The dorm room that she no longer shared with Vicky.

Vicky had left a month ago. She got knocked up. Not by Damon. By one of the guys on the football team. She went back home, wherever that was.

So, Elena had the room to herself. But the last time Damon was in her room, it didn't end so well for her, so, she was definitely not allowing him to be in her room.

The only option left was his house where he shared with his friends. They could work in the kitchen.

As Elena walked towards the address he gave her, she heard thumping music coming from inside. As she got closer, she saw people out front, on the porch, drinks in their hands.

He was having a party?

What the hell?

He knew she was coming. Granted, she was two hours later than she originally said she would be, but she had emailed him to let him know she had to change the time. And it was only eight thirty now, and this party looked like it had been going on for a while.

Elena hesitated, not sure what to do. _Do I go in and find him? For what reason? We can't exactly work while there's a party happening._

But, now, she was pissed. Because, if he was having a party, then he should have let her know, and they could have rearranged. But he definitely didn't let her know because she quickly checked her email at work before she left, and there was nothing from him. She hadn't received a text or phone call from him either.

God, did Damon Salvatore not ever take anything seriously?

Her annoyance quickly turned to anger.

And that was what had her marching up the front lawn and up the steps to the porch and through the open front door.

The house was full of people, drinking, dancing, and making out. Girls were wearing skimpy dresses, and Elena was standing here in her work uniform.

Strangely she felt a stab of envy. She didn't party often because she was too busy with school and work to have a social life. And she was not exactly rolling with the popular crowd, so her party invites were pretty rare…well, the right word should be non-existent.

Elena glanced around, looking for Damon. She saw a few people she knew from classes but no Damon.

She walked through the living room and to the kitchen. Still no sign of him.

By this point, she was pissed off and ready to go home, but she wanted to find him, so she could yell at him.

She grabbed a random guy and asked if he knew where Damon was.

"Out back," he told her.

Elena made her way through the kitchen and let herself out back. There were some people out here, but she couldn't see Damon.

Then, she heard a female giggle to her left. She turned her head to find a pretty brunette pressed up against the house with Damon leaning into her.

A flash of jealousy lanced across her chest.

Almost as if he heard her pain, his head turned, and his eyes focused on her.

Damon smirked. "A little late, aren't you?"

Elena's brows furrowed. "Late?"

He stepped away from the girl and turned to her. "Yeah, about two hours too late for our study session."

"I emailed you to let you know I couldn't make it and that I would be coming now."

His head tipped to the side. "I didn't get an email, Gilbert. And, FYI, people generally text each other now. You know, cell phones." He pulled his phone from his pocket and waved it at Elena.

The brunette giggled, which just pissed Elena off even more.

"I know, asshole. But I didn't have access to my phone at the time, so I emailed."

Her phone was in her bag, but she was not going to tell him that she couldn't text or call him because she was out of credits on her prepay phone, and she didn't have any spare cash to put some credits on it until she got paid in a few days.

It was minutes for her phone or food. And Elena had opted for food.

Damon took a step closer to her and away from the brunette he was just pressed up against. "So, what was so important that you had to miss our meeting then? Wait, let me guess." He clicked his fingers and then pointed at Elena. "I know. You were with Professor Brown, getting your nose surgically removed from her ass because it had been stuck up there so long that haemorrhoids started to grow out your nostrils."

The girl burst out laughing. And Elena could feel her face heating with embarrassment.

"Surely, you couldn't have been doing something fun, like getting laid, because you don't know how to have fun, Gilbert."

"You are an ass. And I'm done here."

Elena pushed past him, ignoring the laughing brunette, and she ran down the steps off the back porch. She was speed walking down the side of the house when a hand caught her arm.

She whirled around to see Damon.

His eyes were lit in a way she had never seen before. It made both her legs tremble and her heart beat faster.

"You could have called to let me know you would be late, Elena."

Damon rarely called her Elena. It threw her off balance for a moment.

Elena pulled her arm from his hand, needing him to stop touching her because she could feel her mask starting to fade.

She hated that he had this effect on her.

How could she want such a mean, jumped-up asshole, whose sole aim in life was to screw as many girls as possible? It made no sense to her.

"I couldn't call you," Elena told Damon through thin lips. "I was at work. My boss offered me extra hours, as one of the other girls had called in sick, and I couldn't not take them because I need the money. We are not all born with a rich mummy and daddy who can pay our bills for us."

His eyes narrowed on her, but he didn't say anything for a long moment.

Then, he just turned and started to head back to the party.

"We need to rearrange our study session," Elena called to his back. "I'm not failing this class because of you."

Damon stopped and turned back to her. His eyes looked dark. "I did the work. Well, my half of it. Because you didn't turn up, I made the decision of who should do what. I will email my part to you tomorrow, so there's no need for us to meet again."

Elena should be relieved because she didn't have to see him again. But she was not.

"What if I don't want to do the part that you are giving me?"

He laughed, but it was a hollow sound. "Then, complain to Professor Brown. I know you have no problem doing that because she pulled me aside the other day to ask me what the issue was between you and me. Said that you had been to see her and asked to be reassigned to a different partner. And you know what I told her?" Damon took long strides back towards her until he was so close that Elena had to tip her head back to look into his face, which looked clouded with anger. "I told her that I don't have a clue what I ever did to make you dislike me." His voice was a harsh sound in her ear.

Elena swallowed roughly, and he took a step back and ran his hand through his hair.

"But you know what else I told her?"

Dumbly, Elena shook her head.

"I told her that I don't care. Whatever your problem with me is, well, it is your problem and not mine." And then he was gone, striding off back to the party. Back to his brunette.

"But that's the problem," Elena whispered to his back. "You didn't care. You hurt my feelings, and you just didn't care."

* * *

 **Thank you for the support and kind reviews. I'm so happy that my readers are enjoying this story as much as I do. Damon is a pain in the ass, isn't he? LOL! But I really enjoy writing this Damon, LOL! I'm sure some of you hate his guts, hehehe! Anyway, keep watching the space:)**


	10. Chapter 10

Damon didn't bother to knock on Elena's office door. He just walked straight in.

Her head came up from her computer, her eyes narrowing with anger on him.

Damon had flashbacks to Harvard and her looking at him that exact same way on many occasions.

Dislike and disdain.

And, just like it bothered him then—not that he would ever let her know that—it bothered him now. Even more so.

"I'm busy," Elena said.

"This won't take a minute. What you just saw in my office wasn't what you thought it was."

She barked out a laugh. "So, you weren't just about to screw my assistant."

"No." Damon gritted his teeth. "I had just come out of my bathroom after showering and—"

"Often take showers during the day, do you?"

"When I have just done a workout in the gym on my lunch hour, yes, I do." He paused, gritting his teeth. He took a deep breath in through his nose and then exhaled it out. "Look, Lexi and I have…a past. A short past. We slept together once before she started working here."

"And you just didn't bother to tell me?"

"I didn't think it was any of your business."

Elena laughed. "Typical, Damon."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you never think further than the end of your cock."

Damon's jaw tightened. "Honestly, I didn't want to cause a problem, and I knew, if I told you that I had slept with her the night before you came in for that first meeting—"

"Hang on." Elena held up a hand. "Lexi was the reason you were late for our meeting? She's the one who left that note on your shirt?"

Damon realized what he had just let slip, and his heart just sank. "Yes."

Elena let out a sound of disbelief, shaking her head.

"I would never have touched her if I had known she was going to start working here."

"Yet you were just naked in your office with her pressed up against you."

"That was all her. She was waiting for me. I hadn't invited her, and I sure as hell didn't want her there. But she wasn't taking no for an answer."

"So, she overpowered you and pressed you up against the wall?"

"I wouldn't say overpowered—"

She laughed derisively, cutting him off. "You can go now. I have work to do."

"Don't do that. Don't dismiss me like I'm your assistant."

"Well, don't screw my actual assistant in your office in the middle of the day, and maybe I won't!" she yelled, rising to her feet, hands pressed to the desk, her face red, eyes bright with anger.

"I didn't screw her!"

"Only because I interrupted you!"

"I wasn't going to do a goddamn thing with her! Aside from the fact that she works here and I never touch employees, I never ride the same roller coaster twice."

"God, you are disgusting. Same game, different place. You are working your way through the female population of Richmond just like you worked your way through Harvard."

"Except for you, Elena. I never worked my way through you."

Her jaw clenched, working angrily. "Only because I saw right through you. God." She laughed. "Same old Damon Salvatore. And here I was, thinking you had changed. You sure had me fooled."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you are still the same shallow, self-centred, womanizing asshole that you were in college!"

"Yeah, and you are the same stuck-up, judgmental bitch that you always were!"

"Go to hell," Elena spitted.

"Original." Damon laughed. "But maybe that's the problem, Elena. Maybe you want to sleep with me, and you can't. Maybe that has been the problem all along. You wanted to screw me in Harvard, too, and that was why you were so bent out of shape all the time."

Her eyes narrowed like lasers. Damon knew he was being a dick, overstepping the mark, but Elena pushed his buttons like no one. She had always been able to push his buttons.

"God, I hate you," she scowled.

Damon narrowed his gaze on her. "The feeling is one hundred percent mutual, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that. I'm not your sweetheart."

"Thank God because, if you were, my balls would have frozen off by now."

Her eyes closed, and Damon hated that he couldn't see what she was thinking. She exhaled slowly through her nose and then opened her eyes.

"Anything else?" Her tone was so even, one wouldn't think they were just tearing each other to shreds.

"No."

"Good."

Her eyes moved to her office door, and Damon took the blatant hint.

He had just opened the door when her voice hit his back. "Where is Lexi?"

Damon glanced at her over his shoulder. "I sent her home for the rest of the day."

Elena laughed softly. "Figures."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you do what is best for you and screw everyone else."

That was like a match to his simmering flame. "Dammit, Elena. You don't know the first thing about me. You don't get to come in here and speak to me like this after five minutes of working here. Yeah, you might be co-CEO or what-the-hell-ever, but this company is mine, and irrespective of what you think just happened with Lexi in my office, I deserve some respect from you."

Elena sniffed. "Respect is earned."

Damon gave her a pointed look. "Yeah, it is." Then, he spun on his heel and slammed her office door behind him.

He marched to his office, ignoring Rose, who had finally reappeared at her desk.

He slammed his office door shut, strode over to his desk, and sat down in his chair.

He was seething.

Who the hell did she think she was? Elena might be hot, but she was still a bitch. God, he hated her.

Well, he didn't hate her. But he wanted to.

Damon was so sick of lusting over her.

And, after today, with her talking to him like that, screw that, he was done.

Damon wanted her gone. From this office and out of his life and his thoughts.

His initial instinct to get rid of her was the right one.

And he would do whatever was necessary to make that happen.

He needed ideas on how to get rid of her from here, but he couldn't think of any because his mind was too twisted up with her to think straight.

Damon turned to his computer and opened up his email. He started a new email, addressed to Alaric and Enzo. His fingers angrily hit the keys as he typed out a message to them

 _Damon: SOS. I need ideas on how to get rid of her._

Enzo replied almost immediately.

 _Enzo: Am I right in guessing that her is Elena Gilbert?_

 _Damon: Yes._

 _Enzo: I thought you were getting on okay with her?_

 _Damon: I was, but then she caught me in my office with Lexi._

 _Enzo: What were you doing with Lexi in the office? Did you have sex with her?_

 _Damon: No, asshole, I wasn't. And I wasn't planning on sleeping with her either. Lexi turned up in my office when I got out of the shower, and she tried to seduce me._

 _Enzo: You should have taken her._

 _Damon: Dude. Can you stay focused here?_

 _Enzo: Okay. Sorry…but what do I need to focus on?_

 _Damon: Getting rid of Elena._

 _Alaric: Just playing catch-up. And, dude, you want to get rid of Elena? You don't mean…kill her, right? Because I love you, man, like a brother, but I'm too pretty for jail._

 _Enzo: No, I'm too pretty for jail. You would just be the nerd they beat up every day for fun._

 _Alaric: Go to hell._

 _Enzo: You are not my type, nerd boy._

 _Damon: Jesus Christ! Can we please get back on topic? And Alaric, I don't mean I want to kill Elena. You really need to stop watching Cold Case. It is scrambling your brain. I want her gone from the business, as in fired. But I don't know how to make that happen. Especially not now, as she came up with this really great idea for the business, and my parents love her even more for it._

 _Enzo: Just sabotage her great idea. Make her look incompetent. Then, your parents will fire her._

That made Damon sat back. Could he actually do that? Sabotage her business idea?

No. Not only for the fact that he would never do anything to hurt the company, but he also couldn't do that to her.

 _Damon: No…I can't do that._

He shut his email down and turned his chair so that he could look out at the city below him.

He felt a lot calmer than he did before, but he hadn't changed his mind.

He still wanted Elena gone from here. He wanted his life to go back to how it was before she came here and messed everything up.

He just needed to figure out how to make that happen. He needed a plan of action of how to get Elena fired that didn't involve messing up the Ananda deal.

Elena was about to learn that there was only one boss at Lady Boss.

And that would be him.

It was official. Damon had reverted back to his childhood ways.

When he was in kindergarten, he had this crush on Becky Young. She was the prettiest girl in his class. And, of course, like any other five-year-old who had a crush on a girl, Damon was mean to her. Pulled her pigtails, stole her juice box at lunch—that kind of thing.

Now, he was reduced back to the days of Becky Young, except it was with Elena now.

The next day after their argument, Damon was willing to be civil—until he got rid of her. But Elena apparently wasn't on the same lines as him.

They had a morning meeting with finance. And then she accidentally stood on his foot on the way out of the conference room.

And she just happened to be wearing a pair of five-inch Louboutin heels.

Forget the fact that those were some serious sexy shoes, and in any other circumstances, Damon would be lusting over her in those shoes.

And it hurt a lot.

What pissed him off was Elena didn't bother to apologise.

A week later, Damon still had the bruise on his foot to prove it.

He was really pissed off after that little incident. So, he replaced that powdered creamer that she put in her coffee with confectioners' sugar.

The sound of her choking and spluttering in the kitchen was the highlight of his day.

Then Damon came into work the next day and found that someone had changed the password on his computer, locking him out of his own PC. It didn't take long for IT to sort it out, but it was more the inconvenience that pissed him off.

He only wished he was there to hear all the calls she must be receiving about the ad for the used vibrator, free to a good home, that had been listed on Craigslist yesterday with her name and number.

Damon knew he was an asshole, but Elena deserved it.

He would take the ad down after this morning's staff meeting. He reckoned a day of annoying phone calls was enough payback for locking him out of his computer.

Elena's cell lit up with a call on the table in front of her. That was the third time her phone had gone off since the meeting started forty minutes ago.

She sighed and reached over, cancelling the call.

Damon stifled a laugh.

He focused back on Lillian's voice. She was saying something about this year's targets.

He was originally leading this morning's meeting, but somehow, Lillian ended up taking over, so he took the only available seat, which was next to Elena.

Damon's parents officially retired last week. But they had both been in the office every day for one reason or another. He knew it had nothing to do with thinking that he and Elena weren't capable of running the company—even if, at the moment, that was questionable, as they could barely hold a conversation without throwing barbs at each other. But he knew it was because his parents were finding it hard to let go.

Her phone went off again, and Damon couldn't help but leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, "You should probably get that. You don't want to miss out on a potential sale."

Elena made a cute growly sound under her breath. Then she nipped him. Hard. Right on the tender part of his arm, near his armpit.

Damon barked out a curse, and everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"Everything okay, Damon?" Lillian asked, her brows furrowed.

"Yep." Damon cleared his throat. "Everything is fine. Carry on."

Lillian looked at him for a long moment. Then, she resumed talking, and all eyes focused back on her.

"That wasn't very nice," Damon whispered under his breath.

"You deserved it, asshole."

"Bitch."

"Why don't you go fuck yourself, Damon?"

Damon laughed softly. "Like you do with your vibrator? No, thanks."

"I don't even—" Her voice pitched, and Elena paused, reining it back in when George from HR looked across the table at her.

"Go to hell," she whispered to Damon when George looked away.

Damon chuckled quietly. "That's rich, coming from the devil herself."

He saw her hands curled into fists on the table, making him laughed again. And he realized just how turned on he was right now.

He was getting off on making her mad.

Jesus, he couldn't win here. Would he ever stop lusting after her?

Yes. When he kicked her out of his company.

As soon as this meeting was done, Damon was going to work out a plan of action—after he took down the Craigslist ad.

"Okay. So, that's it for today. Unless anyone has anything to add?" Lillian said, finishing up the meeting. "No? Well, everyone have a good rest of the day."

Damon picked his cell up from the table and put it in his pocket.

"Damon, Elena, have you got a minute?" Lillian said from the front of the room.

Damon paused. So did Elena.

"Sure," Damon said at the same time Elena said, "Of course."

They waited for the room to clear, and then Lillian closed the door.

"What's up?" Damon asked, sitting on the edge of the table.

Elena was standing at the opposite side of the table from him.

"Well, I was talking with your dad—Giuseppe," Lillian added, looking at Elena, "last night about the Ananda deal, and even though everything seems to be running on schedule, we just want you to go out to the factory and check to make sure everything is running as they say it is."

"You want me to go to Thailand to do a production check?" Damon asked.

He had never been to Thailand before. This would be fun.

This trip to Thailand, away from the office and Elena, would be just what he needed to get himself back on his game.

Damon was actually smiling, thinking of all the fun he could have in Thailand, when Lillian said, "Yes. But not just you, Damon. I want Elena to go with you. I want the both of you to go out to Thailand and do the production check together."

And, just like that, his happy thoughts were obliterated.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and kind reviews. Sorry for the delay in updating the chapters as work has been busy. I promise I will try to write a few more chapters in the next few days.  
**

 **What will happen in Bangkok? I'm having such a great time writing DE in Bangkok, LOL! Enjoy:)**


	11. Chapter 11

Four days later, Damon found himself in a taxi with Elena, on their way to their hotel in Bangkok after the longest flight of his life. And, when he said longest, he meant, because of Elena. Sure, they had to fly from Richmond to Washington DC then to Bangkok.

But he had done long flights before.

It was made unbearably longer by the fact that Elena wouldn't speak to him unless it was work-related. According to her, they didn't need to talk about work until tomorrow, so there was no need for them to talk at all. And, when he had tried to coax her into speaking to him, all he had gotten back was, Go to hell, I hate you, or Can't you just hurry up and die already?

So, clearly, Damon was in for a fun trip.

But it was partly his fault. Elena was still pissed about the Craigslist ad.

He did take it down straight after the meeting, but it seemed some creepers had kept hold of her number and kept calling her at all hours. So, she had to get a new cell phone number.

Honestly, Damon felt terrible about it now.

He had tried to apologize, but those were the times when she told him to Go to hell and that she hated him.

He just wished they could get back to when they were getting along, and he hadn't screwed things up with her because of Lexi. And, yes, news flash—he was taking responsibility for that. Sure, he didn't tell Lexi to come to his office to try to seduce him, but he also didn't head her off at the pass. And, if he hadn't slept with her in the first place or if he had been honest with Elena and told her when she hired Lexi, then it wouldn't have happened the way it did, and Elena might still be talking to him right now.

The taxi came to a stop at their hotel. They staying at the Shangri-La Bangkok for three nights. Damon didn't know much about the place because Rose booked it for them. All he knew was that it was close to Ananda.

Hopefully, it had a bar, as he was going to need alcohol to get him through this trip.

Damon paid the driver, and Elena and he got out of the car.

The heat was stifling.

The driver took their bags out of the trunk, and a hotel porter was already loading their luggage onto a cart.

Damon had one small suitcase and a bag for his laptop. Elena had a large suitcase, a small suitcase, and hand luggage.

Apparently, she didn't travel light. But Damon hadn't commented on that fact, for fear of getting his foot stamped on again.

They walked into reception and straight to the desk.

"Hi." The woman behind the desk smiled at them.

"We have got a reservation under Salvatore."

She tapped some keys on her keyboard. "Ah, yes. Mr Salvatore and Miss Gilbert. Staying for three nights. Miss Gilbert, you are in our Flower bungalow. Mr Salvatore, you are in the Hibiscus bungalow. The bungalows are attached, so you are right next to each other."

 _Awesome,_ Damon thought.

"I will just need a credit card in case you want to charge food and drinks to your room. Nothing will be charged until you check out."

Damon pulled his company credit card from his wallet. She took it and swiped it through a card reader, and then she handed it back to him.

"Here are the keys for your bungalows." She put them on the counter.

He picked them up and handed Elena hers. She didn't say a word. Honestly, he couldn't remember the last time she spoke. He was starting to wonder if her voice had stopped working, which wouldn't be an entirely bad thing.

"Also, here is a map of the hotel." The receptionist laid it out on the counter. "This is where your bungalows are." She tapped to a point on the map. "Just follow the path out of here, and you'll find them, no problem. Chula has taken your luggage straight to your bungalows, so they will be there, waiting for you."

"Thanks," Damon said, picking up the map.

"Do the rooms have air-conditioning?" Elena asked the receptionist.

"Yes. The bungalows are all fitted with air-conditioning."

"Do the bungalows have Wi-Fi?" Damon asked.

"Yes. You can access Wi-Fi anywhere on the hotel grounds. Here is the Wi-Fi address and password." The receptionist handed him a slip of paper, which he pocketed.

"Thanks," he said.

"Enjoy your stay with us."

Elena walked out first, and Damon followed behind. They walked in silence to their bungalows.

When they reached them, Elena unlocked the door to her bungalow. She walked inside and shut the door behind her without a word.

Damon sighed before letting himself into his bungalow.

It was an open plan. There were two double beds, a TV, a small kitchen area, and a separate bathroom.

His suitcase was waiting for him by one of the beds. He dumped his laptop bag on the bed and lifted his case up onto there, too. He opened it up and got his wash bag out, and then he went take a shower.

Fresh out of the shower, Damon dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Then, he checked his phone.

A few emails from Rose. Alaric and Enzo were arguing over an upcoming basketball game in their group message. But, apart from that, nothing of interest.

He could go get something to eat, he guessed, but he ate on the plane, and he was not that hungry. He was not tired either.

Therefore, he decided to go to the bar and have a drink.

He pocketed his wallet and cell and let himself out of his bungalow.

Damon locked the door behind him. Then, he hesitated, wondering if he should knock on Elena's door and ask her if she wanted to join him.

But then she was not exactly talking to him at the moment, and he didn't relish in the thought of having her tell him to go to hell again.

So, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts, and he wandered off in the direction of the main hotel.

Damon found the bar easily enough. It was right next to the outdoor swimming pool.

He took a seat on one of the barstools and ordered a pint of one of the local beers.

He had just taken a sip of his beer when a woman slipped onto the barstool next to him, putting her purse down on the bar.

Damon glanced at her, and she smiled.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi."

She ordered a white wine, and Damon took a moment to look her over.

She was probably in her late thirties. Long red hair. Attractive face.

She was not Elena. But then no one was.

The bartender put the woman's wine down in front of her, and she took a drink. Then, she turned on her stool to face Damon.

"I'm Charlotte." She held her hand out to him.

Damon slid his hand into hers. "Damon."

"So, Damon, tell me, what brings you to Bangkok?"

"Work."

"What kind of work?"

"I'm here to meet with a supplier to check out materials."

"Materials, huh? So, you work in the clothing industry?"

"Yes."

"Which brand? I might know it."

"Lady Boss."

"Would you believe me if I said I was wearing your blouse and pants right now?"

"I wouldn't have a reason to disbelieve you," Damon said.

Charlotte smiled. "So, what exactly do you do at Lady Boss?"

"What do you think I do?"

"Well, the fact that you are here, meeting with a materials supplier…I'd say, buyer."

"CEO."

"My ex-husband's a CEO. Not for a clothing company though."

Ex-husband. She wanted him to know she was single. Meaning she was looking for a hook-up.

Damon couldn't even muster up the effort to care. Right now, all he could think about was Elena and what she was doing back in her room and if she had even noticed he had left his.

"My divorce was finalized a week ago," Charlotte continued. "That's why I'm here, on a trip with my friend to celebrate my return to singledom."

"Where's your friend now?" Damon asked out of politeness.

"Oh, she's in her room—sunstroke." Charlotte laughed and rolled her eyes. "So, Damon"—she moved closer to him, tilting her body towards him—"I'm not usually this forward," she said in a lowered voice. "But"—she hesitated, biting her lip—"I was wondering if you would like to…come back to my room with me."

Damon stared at her, waiting to feel the sexual desire in his body.

But there was nothing.

Not even a flash of excitement at the prospect of having sex with a hot divorcee.

Because of Elena Gilbert.

Damon hated her.

Well, he didn't hate her.

The awful truth was, he couldn't have sex with anyone else because he wanted Elena.

No one else. Only her.

And he hated the fact that he couldn't have her.

Finally, he let out a breath. "I'm really sorry…" he said. He saw a flash of disappointment flicker through her eyes. "It's not you," he was quick to add. "You are hot. Really hot. Any other time, and I would be grabbing your hand and leading you straight back to your room. But"—he stared down into his beer—"I just…can't."

"You don't have to explain. It's fine." Charlotte plastered on a smile and downed her drink. "Can't blame a girl for trying though, right?" She slipped off her stool and picked her purse up.

"Charlotte, just because I said no…don't let that put you off. What I mean is"—Damon rubbed his forehead—"the next guy you ask back to your room will be all over that…you." He forced a smile. "If this were a few weeks ago and you were asking me to go back to your room, I wouldn't have hesitated. It's just…my head's a little screwed up right now."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Love will do that to you." Then, she walked away.

Damon wanted to call after her and tell her that he was not in love with Elena.

But whatever.

Why should he explain?

Sighing, he drained his drink and left the bar.

He took the long walk back to his bungalow.

When he got close, he saw Elena was sitting out on the terrace, reading a book. She was wearing this long black caftan, and her hair was tied up in a knot on the top of her head.

Damn. She was beautiful.

It was weird. When they were in Harvard, Damon thought she was judgmental and stuck up.

But, deep down, he liked her. He just didn't like the fact that she didn't like him, and he didn't know why.

It was frustrating to have someone hated him for no reason at all. Especially when, under any other circumstances, he would have wanted to be friends with them.

Wanted more from them.

Wanted more from her.

Like he did now.

Her head lifted from her book as Damon approached. She didn't look at him like she wanted to kill him, so he took that as progress.

He sat down on the chair next to hers. "Can we have a cease-fire? We are in this beautiful country, and I know we are here to work, but I would like us both to have a good time as well."

Elena sighed and closed her book. "Okay," she said.

Damon's eyes flicked to hers. "Okay?" he echoed.

"Yeah. You are right. You did a childish thing with the Craigslist ad, but I wasn't entirely innocent either in all of this. So, yeah, let's call a cease-fire. We have to work together, and we were getting along okay before the whole Lexi incident." Her mouth tightened around Lexi's name.

"I am sorry about that."

She didn't say anything, and Damon leaned back in his chair.

He risked a glance at her, and she was frowning. Her mouth was still tight.

And then it dawned on Damon that maybe Elena was not pissed because he slept with her assistant. She was pissed because he didn't sleep with her.

She was jealous. And she wanted him.

He knew he said that to her when they were arguing—that she wanted to sleep with him—but he didn't actually believe it. He was trying to piss her off.

Now, he was starting to think he was right.

There was a fine line between sex and hate. Okay, so it was love and hate. But he and Elena didn't love each other. They just wanted to have sex.

And knowing that made the whole staying away from her a hell of a lot more difficult.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews. I'm really happy and excited that my readers are enjoying this DE story. Once again, I have to apologise for the delay in updating the chapters because work has been really busy. I'm trying hard to write as much as I can. Please bear with me and I promise I will do my best to deliver a great DE story:)**

 **Enjoy!**


	12. Chapter 12

It was early evening, and Damon was sitting in the back of a stretch limo with Elena beside him. Niran, the owner of Ananda, and his wife, Noon, were sitting opposite them. They were on their way to watch a Thai boxing match—at the insistence of Niran.

Damon figured they would probably just go out for dinner and drinks with them, but apparently, Thai boxing was the thing to do here.

Should be interesting.

He and Elena went to Ananda in the morning and spent the day looking around the factory and meeting with Niran and his staff.

He had learned a few things today. Apparently, Elena could speak Thai. Even though Niran could speak fluent English, Elena would at times speak to him in his native language.

He had also learned that Ananda had some great silk. Better than their Chinese supplier to be brutally honest.

He was surprised no other company has swooped in and bought up all their stock. But he was also really glad they hadn't.

In addition, he was really impressed while walking around the factory. It was a larger setup than he had expected. And the materials were of incredible quality. Seeing it all, watching Elena's face lit up at the prospect of her idea coming to life, was quite simply awesome.

Damon took a glance at Elena.

She was looking beautiful tonight.

She had on a sleeveless white dress. Low cut in the bust and shorter on the legs than he had ever seen her wear. He was guessing it was because of the heat here. And he was finding it hard not to spend the whole car journey just staring at her legs.

She was wearing flat sandals on her feet, which was different, too, because Elena was always in heels in the office. She looked so much smaller with the flats. She was not particularly short for a woman. He would say she was about five-seven or five-eight. But he was five-eleven, so she was a hell of a lot smaller than he was.

Damon stared at her feet. She even had pretty feet. Her toenails were painted pink, and there was a toe ring on her second toe.

He wanted to take those sandals off her feet. And kissed his way up her instep and up her leg, right up to the apex of her thigh.

And, now, he was hard. He shifted in the seat as he thought about the silkworms and pupa that Niran showed them today, which they used to make the silk. He even had Damon touched them.

That was gross and disgusting.

But thinking of that did the trick, and managed to distract him, which was good, as they had reached the Bangkok Boxing Stadium. Even though it was a stadium, but it looked more like a bar or a seedy strip joint from the outside. It was just on the main street, nestled in between bars and restaurants. The entrance was open, and a guy was sitting on a stool.

The driver opened the door for them. Niran gestured for Damon to get out first. He climbed out the car, and then he held a hand out to help Elena out. She took it, and he curled his fingers around her hand, loving the feel of her soft skin.

He hated to let her go, but he had to. He didn't want to weird her out by keeping hold of her hand. He knew he had to take things slow with Elena. Showed her what an awesome guy he really was. They were only just back on even footing, and he didn't want to mess things up by rushing it.

Niran got out of the car, helped his wife out, and then walked over to the guy on the stool.

They shook hands and exchanged words, and then Niran gave him some money.

He gestured for them to follow him inside.

The place looked shady. Damon put a protective hand on Elena's lower back as they started to walk inside. She shivered under his touch. He held back his smile.

"I don't have a good feeling about this place," he whispered to Elena as Niran and Noon walked on ahead.

"It's fine."

"You say that now. You won't be saying that when we get murdered."

Amused, innocent eyes flickered up to his. "Stop being a girl, Damon. We are not going to get murdered in here."

"Hey! I'm not a girl. I'm all man, I will have you know. Total badass." Damon had the urge to flex his muscles to show Elena just how tough he was.

Elena smiled and patted his chest with her hand. "Sure you are, Salvatore."

Niran was holding open the door to the arena as they approached.

Elena leaned close to Damon's ear and whispered, "Do you want me to go in first, check out the place, and make sure no murderers are in there, waiting to kill you?"

Damon leaned back and looked into her laughing eyes. "You are hilarious," he muttered. He moved past her, going through the door first.

The sound of her tinkling laughter behind him lit him up inside.

Damon stepped inside the arena, which was just basically a large room with a boxing ring in the middle, surrounded by rows of tables with seating, and a bar around the edges.

"I got a table close to the front for us," Niran told Damon.

He and Elena followed Niran and Noon over to their table. Noon sat first, Elena took the seat next to her, then Damon sat next to Elena, and Niran took the seat next to him.

Niran pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You smoke?" He offered one to Damon.

"No."

"You mind if I do?"

"Not at all."

Damon hated smoking. He basically detested it. But plenty of people were already smoking in here, so he would look like an ass if he had said he had a problem with Niran smoking.

"Elena?" He offered a cigarette to her, and she declined.

Niran passed the cigarette pack down to his wife, and each of them lit one up.

A waitress appeared to take their drink orders.

Damon ordered a Heineken, and Elena ordered her usual of vodka, soda, and lime. Niran ordered a beer, like Damon, and Noon ordered a glass of wine.

Noon and Elena were chatting away, so Damon made conversation with Niran while they waited for their drinks to arrive.

"So, tell me about the rules of Thai boxing," Damon said to Niran.

"Okay, so Muay Thai, as we call it here, is known as the art of eight limbs because hands, elbows, knees, and legs can be used to attack your opponent. So, there is the Chok technique, which is punching. Sok, which uses the elbows."

"You can use your elbows in Thai boxing?"

"Yes." Niran nodded, smiling.

"Sounds brutal."

"The fighters are well trained. Train every day. And they fight once a week. But most professional boxers retire early."

Damon nodded in understanding.

"Okay, so where was I? Oh, yes, next there is Te, which involves kicking. That's one of the most used fight actions in Muay Thai. Also, Thip, which is a foot-thrust, and Chap Kho, which is clinch and neck-wrestling."

"So, basically, they just get in the ring and beat the hell out of each other?"

"Yes." Niran chuckled. "But it is also an art form. Very entertaining to watch. You will like it."

"I'm sure I will."

The waitress came over with their drinks.

Damon glanced at Elena, and she met his eyes with a smile.

"Oh, the first fight is about to begin." Niran clapped his hands.

Damon watched as two pint-sized guys got into the ring.

"So, who are we cheering for?" Damon asked Niran.

"Sot Ponlid. He is the one on the right."

"He is our favourite boxer," Noon told Damon.

"Okay. So…go Sot." Damon gave an encouraging fist pump.

Elena laughed at him. "You are such a dork."

"No. I'm badass. We have already talked about this."

Damon grinned at her, and she laughed again. His whole body warmed. But not in a sexual way. He didn't know how to describe it. All he did know was, he had discovered that he loved making Elena laugh.

Elena's laughter was awesome. She knew how to laugh. She laughed without abandon, and the sound was contagious.

Making her laugh was Damon's new favourite thing to do.

But he was sure, when he got her flat on her back and under him, a whole host of other things would become his new favourite things to do to Elena.

Niran and Noon had just dropped them off back at their hotel, and Damon and Elena were walking through the gardens, towards their bungalows.

They were going to meet with Niran tomorrow morning at the factory to sign some papers, and then they would have the rest of the day free before they flew back home the next morning.

"You fancy a beer?" Damon asked her as they near our bungalows. "I have some in the fridge in my room."

Honestly, he was just thinking up ways to spend a little more time with her. He was not ready for the night to be over just yet.

"Sure." Elena smiled. "You mind if I just grab a shower first though? I want to wash the smoke out of my hair."

"Yeah, I think I will grab a shower, too. Niran and Noon are great, but Jesus can they smoke." he chuckled.

She laughsed "I'm pretty sure they went through a full pack each while we were at the boxing match."

"And another pack while we had dinner."

They had grabbed some food at a Thai restaurant after the boxing match.

"I actually didn't know someone could smoke while eating their food."

Elena snickered. "I will be about fifteen minutes." She stepped into her room.

"Take your time."

Damon let himself in his room, stripped off his smoky clothes, and climbed in the shower.

He was done in five minutes. He put on a pair of grey pyjama pants and grabbed two beers from the fridge. He opened them up and headed out onto the terrace.

He was catching up on messages when Elena appeared.

She smiled at him. "Hey."

She was makeup free, not that she wore much anyway, and her hair was down and damp around her shoulders. But those weren't the reasons that Damon had suddenly lost the ability to speak.

No, it was the black silk cami pyjama top and shorts that she was wearing. And also the fact that he knew she was not wearing a bra beneath it because he could see her perky nipples poking at the fabric.

Was she trying to kill him?

It took him a full minute to find his voice. "Hi," he croaked as he handed her a beer.

Elena sat on the chair beside him and curled her legs up beneath her.

Damon wanted her so badly. He could feel himself starting to sweat, and his heart was thudding in his chest.

He took a long pull on his beer, trying to calm himself down.

 _Chill, Damon. For God's sake, you are acting like you have never seen a hot woman before._

 _But I haven't seen her before. Not like this._

"That's one of ours, right?" Damon pointed to her pyjama set.

"It is." Elena smiled around the mouth of her beer bottle before taking a drink.

Those lips around that bottle…he bet she was an amazing kisser.

"I know my stuff," he said.

 _"I know my stuff."_

 _Jesus Christ. How can you come up with that, Damon Salvatore?_

He was sounding like a moron.

Damon took another drink of his beer and silently berated himself for being a moronic prick.

"So, tonight was fun," Elena said.

Damon smiled at her. "Yeah, it was."

"And we didn't get murdered at the arena, so that was a bonus." A slow grin slid onto her face.

Damon chuckled and shook his head at her. "Did you not go to a Thai boxing match the last time you were here?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "I didn't get much time to do anything, except work, the last time I was here. I was only in Bangkok for a day, as I had to visit a few more places."

"So, you didn't get to do much sightseeing?"

"Nope."

"Do you want to go sightseeing with me tomorrow after we finish up signing the contracts with Niran?"

"Sure." She smiled. "That sounds nice."

Damon took another sip of his beer, happy at the thought of spending the day with her tomorrow.

"I'm surprised you haven't been out here before," Elena said, her voice gentle in the night air. "I would have thought traveling was your thing."

Damon glanced at her. "Because I'm rich?"

She shrugged but didn't elaborate.

"I have been abroad for work—China, India, places like that. Never here though. I did go to Cabo with the boys a few times for spring break." Damon smiled at the memories. "But, honestly, I haven't taken a vacation since…God, two years ago when Enzo booked us a spontaneous trip to Vegas. I'm kind of married to my job if you haven't noticed."

"I have noticed," Elena said softly.

Damon liked that she had realized how hard he actually did work.

"So, how is Enzo?" she asked him.

"He is good. Bumming around, living off his trust fund." Damon chuckled, and she laughed.

"You were close with Alaric Saltzman as well, right? I worked with him at Starbucks," she explained.

"Yeah, I see him all the time. Alaric is one of my best friends."

"How is he doing? I heard that he had set up a dating app or something when he left college."

"Yeah, he created Pair-U-Safe."

Basically, Pair-U-Safe was a dating app that people can join, so they could meet and hook up with people, and there was no risk to their safety at all. The sign-up was rigorous, and it did all kinds of background checks on people. If one passed the checks, then one would be allowed a membership. Once in, one would able to browse photos of people but no details. If one had managed to see someone one wanted to hook up with, then a message could be send to that person. If he or she wanted to meet up, then a date was arranged through Pair-U-Safe. The first date was held at the building they owned, which had security. The first building was in Richmond. Now, they were all over the States.

The Pair-U-Safe buildings were a lot like hotels. They had a reception area, restaurant, café, cinema and bowling alley where the dates are held. The hotel was littered with security guards. CCTV was in all the dating areas. For an extra cost, there were hotel rooms upstairs for people to check in and to have sex if they wanted. And a panic button was in each room. If they didn't want a room, then they could go on their way after having a date that was safe for them.

The joining fee was higher than the usual dating apps, but with all the creepers in the world right now, people wanted to know they were meeting exactly whom they think they should be meeting and that they would be safe. And that was what Alaric's company provided for them.

"Wow. I can't believe he created Pair-U-Safe."

"Yep. Alaric is smart."

"Well, he must be doing really well for himself."

Damon smiled at his friend's good fortune. "Yeah, he is."

"It is one of the biggest dating apps around," she mused.

"Number two in the world. Have you ever used it?" he asked her.

"No! Of course not." Her defensive words and tone told him that she probably had.

Damon wasn't sure why. But he felt a flash of jealousy at the thought of Elena going on a date and possibly sleeping with some dickhead at the building that his friend owned.

He gritted his teeth, his hand tightening around his beer bottle.

When he felt a little calmer, he said, "What about you? You still friends with those girls you hung out with at Harvard…" He clicked his fingers, trying to remember their names.

"Bonnie and Caroline," she said.

"Yeah, right. Bonnie was the one with black hair, right?"

"Yeah."

"And Caroline…did she have red hair?"

"No. Blonde."

"Close." Damon chuckled and she laughed.

"But I do remember you had a friend who had red hair," he added.

There was a brief silence.

Damon looked at her, and it was like a dark cloud had settled over her once-serene face.

"That's Hannah," she said eventually.

Was she angry because he didn't remember her friends properly?

"Do you still see them?" he asked.

"Bonnie and Caroline. But not Hannah." Elena stood abruptly, yanking his eyes up with her. "I'm going to go to bed."

Damon got to his feet. "Oh. Right. Okay."

She didn't look at him. "Thanks for the beer."

And the good feeling that he had had all night disintegrated.

"Anytime," he said.

"Well"—she took a step away from him, her voice sounding stiff—"good night, Damon."

"Sleep well," he told her.

Damon watched her walk back into her bungalow, the door closing behind her, shutting him out. And he stood here, confused as to how he not remembering the colour of her friend's hair could piss her off so much.

* * *

 **Thank you for the support and wonderful reviews. I'm so, so happy that my readers are enjoying this story. Sorry for the delay in updating the chapters as I have been busy with work. I will try hard to write as many chapters as possible. In the mean time, relax and enjoy this chapter:)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

_Eight Years Ago_

Elena was back for her second year at Harvard.

She had spent the summer at home, working for Starbucks there. She was lucky to get a transfer, and she took on a second job at the place where her mother worked, helping reception.

It was good to be home and spend some quality time with her parents. And, of course, Bonnie was home, too, so they got to hang out, one-on-one, which hadn't happened in a while.

Not that Elena didn't like Caroline's friend, Hannah, because she really did. Hannah was lovely. The four of them were all rooming together this year. They had got an apartment close to campus. But, growing up, it had always been Elena and Bonnie, so it was awesome for it to just be Bonnie and her.

And, honestly, Elena thought the breakaway had done her a world of good.

She was actually over her crush on Damon.

So, now that she was not crushing on Damon, she didn't have to pretend to not have said crush on him; therefore, she didn't need to act like she thought he was the biggest jerk to ever walk the face of the planet so that he didn't know she had—sorry, had feelings for him. And, also, she was over the whole him implying that she was fat.

Elena had decided, from now on, she would be nice to him.

Not that she had been particularly awful to him. She had just not been friendly to him in the past.

But this year was going to be different. A brand-new year, and Elena had resolved to be nice to Damon Salvatore. Maybe even be friends with him.

Another change that she and Bonnie had agreed on for this year was that they would both have more of a social life. Bonnie was not here on a scholarship, like Elena. Her parents were a little better off than Elena's, and they paid for her tuition and boarding fees, but Bonnie still had to work to earn money to live on.

So, it was fair to say that they both had neglected their social lives last year.

This year was going to be different.

Elena was actually considering maybe dipping her toe in the dating pool.

She was in university. Having fun and dating boys was a rite of passage.

Hence why she found herself at this party of some guy she didn't know, but he was in Hannah's creative writing class.

The house was packed with people. Some, Elena had recognized from classes, but a lot of them, she didn't know.

Hannah and Caroline had disappeared the moment they got here to go talk to some people they knew. So, it was just Bonnie and Elena, standing around, people-watching.

"We suck at this," Bonnie said into Elena's ear over the loud music.

"Suck at what?" Elena said back to her.

"Socializing. We have been here for thirty minutes, and we haven't talked to anyone but each other. We haven't even had a drink yet."

Elena chuckled. "You are right. We do suck at it. How about I go locate us a drink, and you go talk to that cute guy who has been staring at you for the last five minutes?"

"Who? Where?" Bonnie's head whipped around.

"Straight ahead. Blue shirt. Blond hair. Super cute."

Bonnie glanced over at him. He was still staring at her. He smiled at her and then started to walk towards them.

"What do I do?" Bonnie said to Elena, panicked.

"Talk to him," Elena said, giving her friend a little shove forward. "I will be back soon with drinks for us."

Just as the cute guy reached Bonnie, Elena disappeared and went off in search of alcohol.

She headed to where she thought the kitchen might be. She was just about to push the door open but paused when she heard her name mentioned.

"Hey, did you see that Elena Gilbert is here?"

Elena knew the voice, but she was struggling to place it.

"I thought she'd didn't do parties."

"She doesn't usually," another male voice said.

"I'm thinking I might give her a try tonight," the first voice said.

Oh, wow. Some guy was saying that he wanted to hit on her. Even if he was not her type, it was still really nice to hear that she had caught a guy's interest.

A voice laughed. "Hartwell's going for the fatty again tonight to ensure he gets his dick wet."

Fatty.

Elena took in a sharp breath. Instant tears pricked at her eyes.

"You mock, but the fat ones always give it up easier. They are so desperate for attention, they will spread their legs at the click of a finger."

Dean Hartwell.

He was in Elena's economics class last year. Seemed like a nice guy. Clearly, he was not, Elena thought.

She wrapped her arms over her chest, her insides trembling with hurt.

 _Don't cry. Don't cry. You are strong, Gilbert._

She was feeling so good about herself earlier. But now…

She glanced down at the dress she was wearing, and all she could see were lumps and bumps.

She pulled at the fabric to loosen it. To try and hide what she had forgotten for a while was there.

Fat.

She wanted to go home.

 _And then do what? Eat? Cry?_

 _Well, it would be a hell of a lot better than standing here, listening to a bunch of guys calling me fat._

Elena stepped away from the door. But…if she was going to leave, Bonnie would want to come with her. And she didn't want to spoil her friend's night. Not now that Bonnie had met some guy she might like.

For Bonnie's sake, she just needed to suck it up and go in there to get their beers.

They probably wouldn't even notice her anyway.

Elena took a few hundred deep breaths. Then, she gingerly pushed the kitchen door open.

The sound of male laughter assaulted her ears. At first, she thought they were laughing at her again, but with one quick glance, she saw they were not even looking her way.

As her eyes pulled away, she caught sight of Damon, and her heart banged painfully against her chest.

He was in the group. Standing with those guys who were just calling her fat.

He was leaning against the kitchen counter, his eyes down, focused on his cell phone.

"You've been on your phone since you got here," one of the guys said to Damon. "What—or should I say, who has got you so interested?"

"No one."

Damon went to pocket his cell, but the guy snatched it before he could.

"Wow!" the guy crowed. "Salvatore is getting nude pics from some chick!"

"What? Let me see!" Hartwell made a grab for the phone.

But the guy holding it moved it out of his way, and instead, he turned the screen around for everyone to see.

Elena was included.

Even from her spot at the other side of the kitchen, she could see the picture. It was a nude. Well, she was wearing panties but nothing on top, her large breasts on show.

Her heart sank to her feet.

Damon was standing there, texting messages with some girl who liked to send nudes, while those guys were calling Elena fat, and he said nothing.

But then Elena shouldn't expect anything else from him. Because he was one of those guys.

"Wow! That is one impressive rack!" one of them hooted.

Damon jabbed the guy holding the phone in the stomach, and as the guy bent over from the hit, Damon grabbed his phone from his hand.

"You pricks," Damon grunted.

"Hey, Salvatore, you should send that pic to Hartwell. He needs it more than you do. He can jerk to it when he is home alone later."

At the mention of Dean's name, Elena put her head down and made a beeline for the keg.

She was just filling up her second cup of beer when she heard her name.

Elena froze. Then, she looked up.

Dean Hartwell was standing right near her. A beer in his hand.

Her eyes flickered to the group of guys he was with. They were all talking. Damon was back on his phone. She looked back to Dean.

"Hey, Dean," she said quietly.

The cup was full, so she flipped the lever on the keg, picked her other beer up, and turned to leave, but Dean stopped her.

"Hey, where you going?"

"Drinks. I have to take my friend her drink."

"Stay. Chat with me for a bit."

Elena bit the inside of her cheek. She always did that when she was nervous.

Her eyes flickered to the group. Damon was still on his phone.

"So, how was your summer?" Dean asked.

"It was good, thanks."

"Cool. Mine, too. I spent it in Europe with my family."

"Sounds nice," Elena said because she didn't know what else to say. She just knew that she wanted to get out of here and back to Bonnie.

"Yeah, it was great," he said. Then, he took a step closer.

Elena sucked in a breath and fought the urge to run, as she didn't want to give them another reason to laugh at her.

"So"—Dean reached up and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, and she shuddered on the inside—"I thought about you a lot over the summer."

His lips lifted at the corners into what he thought were a sexy smile. All it did was to make Elena feel sick.

"Um, you did?" She didn't know what else to say. She knew where he was going with this, but she just wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.

Dean chuckled a low sound. "Because I like you, Elena. And I was thinking"—he moved even closer—"that we should go upstairs and get to know each other a little better."

"I, uh…" Elena was sliding along the counter, beer in each hand, edging away. "I can't. I, uh, I have to get back to my friend."

His body turned, following hers. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you didn't go back straightaway."

"No. I, um…I have to…get her drink to her." Elena spun on her heel, sloshing beer over her hands, but she didn't stop. She got out of that kitchen as soon as possible.

As the door shut behind her, raucous laughter broke out in the kitchen.

"Struck out with the fatty!" One of them laughed. "Looks like you are going to need that pic of Salvatore's after all!"

And Elena felt sicker inside.

She was getting drunk.

She knew she was being stereotypical. A bunch of guys called her fat, and she was getting drunk.

But, honestly, the more she drank, the less her insides hurt. So, drinking, it was.

Bonnie knew something was wrong when Elena came back from the kitchen, but Elena told her that she was fine. She knew Bonnie. Bonnie would have gone and given Dean a piece of her mind. Then, she would have suggested they leave the party and go grab some pizza, meaning she would have left behind the cute guy who was clearly into her.

So, Elena smiled and told her friend she was fine and that she should go dance with the cute guy, whom she knew now was called Jason. It took a few times of persuading Bonnie until she finally relented.

So, while Bonnie had been dancing with Jason, Elena had been knocking back the drinks. Well, she only had three beers, but she was a cheap date.

And a fat one apparently.

 _Can anyone say bitter?_

Okay, so she was super drunk now.

Elena was on her…fifth beer. She thought. It could be sixth. All she knew was, she was buzzing, and she felt awesome!

Bonnie was currently on the sofa, making out with Jason, and Elena was super happy for her.

Really, she was. She loved Bonnie, and she wanted her to be happy.

And at least one of them was getting some happiness.

Bonnie didn't just leave her standing here alone though. She kept coming to check on her every so often. Elena told her friend she was going to leave the party if she came to check on her one more time. Bonnie got the hint and hit the sofa with Jason, and she had been sucking face with him since.

Elena had not been standing here like a sad loner. Hannah came to chat to her for a while, and then she vanished again. Elena was talking to Andrea from her business enterprise class until her boyfriend turned up, and she disappeared off with him.

Elena laughed to herself, like the loser that she was.

Her bladder squeezed.

Damn, she needed to pee. She hadn't been to the bathroom all night, and she had drunk about a gallon of beer. It was surprising that her bladder hadn't burst already.

Elena took the stairs, dodging the people sitting on them.

When she reached the landing, she walked down the hallway. There were heaps of doors there. And not one had a sign saying, Bathroom Here.

The last thing she wanted to do was to walk into someone's bedroom and see people going at it.

Finally she picked a door and stepped close to it. She leaned in, seeing if she could hear anything. There was no noise, so she tried the door. It opened, and no one was in there, but it was a bedroom.

Elena shut the door and stepped close to the next door.

"Oh yes! Right there, Lucky! Right there!"

Lucky?

Her next-door neighbour back home had a dog called Lucky. He was a poodle.

And, now, she was imagining that the Lucky behind the door had hair like a poodle.

Elena snorted and covered her mouth to catch the sound.

She was totally drunk.

She stumbled away from the door, chuckling to herself, and bumped into the wall.

"Oh God, Damon. You are so good at that."

Elena stiffened at the sound of the breathy female voice.

Her head turned to the door next to her. It was a little ajar, so she could hear them but not see them.

"You like that, huh?"

"God, yes," she moaned softly.

And Elena closed her eyes against the hurt spilling into her chest.

Because she knew that voice. Her voice.

Hannah.

"You are going to make me come," Hannah whispered.

"That's what I'm aiming for." Damon chuckled, deep and low.

Hannah moaned louder this time.

Then, there was silence. The rustling of clothes.

Elena knew she needed to leave.

She was standing out here, like a creeper. Someone could come out and see her. But she just couldn't seem to make herself move. The betrayal was just too much.

"Damon, you, um…you won't tell Elena what we just did, will you?"

"Elena?"

"Elena Gilbert. She is in some of your classes, same major."

"I know who Elena is. I'm just wondering why you think I would tell her that you and I hooked up. We are not exactly friends."

"No, but she is, um…well, she is kind of a friend of mine."

 _Kind of a friend? Nice, Hannah._

"And she, um…well, she…"

Elena froze. What was Hannah going to say to Damon?

"Well…she kind of…likes you."

Damon laughed loudly. The sound splintered into Elena's chest.

"Elena doesn't like me." He laughed again. "She can't stand me."

"Yeah, yeah, you are right," Hannah said quickly. "I was thinking of someone else. I just can't believe she doesn't like you."

Then there was a brief moment of silence.

"I like you," Hannah said in that breathy voice again.

"Well, babe"—his voice sounded rough, raspy—"why don't you get down on your knees and show me exactly how much you like me?"

Finally, Elena moved. She stumbled away, quickly heading for the stairs.

She rushed out of the party. She didn't wait to tell Bonnie that she was leaving. Bonnie would know something was wrong, and Elena really didn't want to tell her friend what just happened. Because she knew Bonnie would be furious with Hannah, and she didn't want to be the reason that they fell out. Also, they had to live with Hannah for the next year.

Elena had to live with Hannah for the next year.

What if Hannah started dating Damon?

Elena shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want to think of that right now. She would deal with it if and when the time came.

She pulled her cell from her pocket and called for a cab. Then, she texted Bonnie to say that she was not feeling well and that she was heading home.

She walked a little ways down the street, away from the party, and leaned back against a wall of a neighbouring house.

 _"Elena doesn't like me. She can't stand me."_

The sound of Damon's words and his laughter ricocheted through her mind.

He thought that she didn't like him. He should think that because that was what she had spent the last year ensuring he would think.

And she was right to do so. Because Damon Salvatore was an asshole.

Hating Damon was the only line of defence that she had left now.

Because she had been lying to herself for a long time.

She didn't have a crush on Damon.

She was in love with him.

And loving someone like Damon Salvatore was pointless and a sure way to get a broken heart for a girl like her.

If he hadn't broken it already.

* * *

 **Damon surely had broken Elena's heart, hadn't he? Could he amend their relationship now?**

 **Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews so far. Without your support, I don't think I will have the motivation to carry on writing Delena stories.**

 **Have a great weekend:)**


	14. Chapter 14

Damon and Elena spent a few hours at the factory in the morning with Niran, going over a few final details and signing some paperwork, and then they were done. Afterwards, he insisted they used his driver for the rest of the day to go sightseeing.

So, Damon and Elena were in Niran's limousine with plenty of time for sightseeing.

Damon was excited because he could get Elena all to himself for the rest of the day.

She was seemingly back to normal today after her weird moment last night.

Seriously though, Damon did not understand women at all. They got bent out of shape over the smallest of things.

But luckily he was a charmer. He knew how to make a woman happy.

And his plan today was to show her what an awesome guy he really was, and then after spending all day around his awesomeness, Elena would realize that sleeping with him would be the best thing to do. She would drag him back to the hotel, and they would screw each other's brains out all night long.

It was a simple plan. But, sometimes, simple was all one needed for an effective outcome.

He wanted Elena badly. And he was sure she wanted him as well.

Sometimes, women needed to be romanced. And Damon knew he was not the most romantic of guys, but Niran recommended that they went to visit the Hot Springs as one of their sightseeing spots today.

He figured, what better place to get Elena hot…than at a hot springs?

But that sounded terrible, even to his own ears.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Since Elena came back into his life, he had turned into an idiot.

He really needed to get back on his game; otherwise, he would definitely turn into an idiot.

He wasn't being dramatic. He was unable to sleep with any other women in these past few weeks and the only woman he actually wanted was unavailable to him.

How dreadful life could be?

"You are surprisingly quiet," Elena said from beside Damon.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about work," Damon lied.

"Anything I need to know about?"

There was a hint of concern in her voice, so Damon reassured her, "No, nothing major. Just some stuff I have to do when we get back home."

"Well," she said, turning her body to his, "I say, don't think about work now. Think about that when we are home. We are in Thailand. And we have the whole day to explore." She grinned.

Her smile infected him, tilting his lips up. "You are right. No more work. Just fun for the rest of the day, babe."

Something hot and smoky flashed through Elena's eyes.

 _Oh, she likes that I called her babe,_ Damon thought.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Maybe he and Elena were more of similar minds than he had realized.

He couldn't wait to take her to bed.

But he would try hard to control himself.

Elena had been looking forward to going sightseeing, and she deserved to have some fun after all the hard work she had put in with the Ananda deal.

He would hold off for as long as possible as long as Elena was happy.

God, he was such a romantic. Since when Damon Salvatore had turned into a romantic?

The driver pulled the limo up outside the Hot Springs. Damon told him to wait for them, and then he and Elena exited the vehicle.

He and Elena argued over who was paying the entry fee. In the end, he lied and told her that he was charging it to the company, but he paid it himself. It was the only way Elena would let him pay.

Then, they were inside and walking around.

Basically, it was just warm water spurting out of the ground and some pools of water set in gardens. But Elena seemed to like it. And Damon was happy if she was.

"It is so pretty," Elena said softly beside him, trailing her fingers through the pool of water they had stopped by.

"Yeah," Damon said. _But not as pretty as you,_ he said to himself.

They walked on a little farther and saw people are taking off their shoes and walking into the water from the springs.

"You want to?" Damon gestured to the barefoot people in the water, walking around, looking like they were enjoying themselves.

"Yeah." Elena smiled, and Damon's heart skipped a beat.

He liked her smile and he would never get bored seeing Elena smiled.

They slipped their shoes off. Damon was wearing shorts, and Elena had a knee-length skirt on, which she hitched up a little as they stepped into the water.

It was nice. Warm. Like bath water.

Damon felt water hit the backs of his legs, and he saw Elena grinning.

He turned to her. "Did you just kick water at me, Gilbert?"

Her brow lifted in challenge. "Maybe."

"Right. That's it." Damon charged for her. Sweeping her up off her feet, he flung her over his shoulder.

Elena screamed with laughter. "Put me down, Damon!"

"You really want me to put you down?" He leaned forward with her, holding on to her with his hand on the backs of her legs.

"You are going to drop me!" she squealed, banging her hands on his back.

"Am I?"

Then, he surged forward, like he was going to drop her in the water, and Elena screamed.

"Damon! Don't you dare!"

"Say you are sorry for kicking water at me."

"What? No way!"

"Okay. A soaking, it is."

"No! Okay, I'm sorry for kicking water at you!"

"And say, Damon, you are so awesome. I'm so sorry for thinking you were a dick for all those years."

"I'm not saying that!"

Damon felt her huff of anger against his back, and he had to hold back his laughter.

"Okay then…" He lunged with her again, and it worked.

"Okay! I was wrong! You weren't a dick in Harvard, and you are not a dick now!"

"See? That wasn't too hard, was it?"

Grinning, Damon slid Elena down his body until she landed on her feet in the water, enjoying the feel of her against him.

He had expected her to move away, but she didn't. Fiery eyes stared up at him. A thrill shot through his body.

"You are a jerk," Elena said, but she was smiling.

"You really want me to toss your ass in this water, don't you?"

Her eyes narrowed on Damon, and he let out a laugh.

"God, you are so adorable when you are mad."

"I'm not adorable." Elena poked him in the chest with her finger. "And I can't believe you just forced me to say you weren't a dick in Harvard. Just so you know, I take it back. You were a dick."

Damon caught hold of her finger, wrapping his around it, keeping her there with his. "I know, at times, I was. And I know we didn't get along in Harvard," he said gently. "But I always thought you were smart and tenacious."

"Sure you did." Elena rolled her her eyes, turning her face away from him.

Damon knew he was losing her, so he caught her chin in his hand, forcing her to focus back on him. He wanted her to listen to him. He wanted her to hear what he was saying.

He knew he said he wanted her in his bed. He still did. But he was not telling her this to make that happened, he realized. He was telling her because it was the truth, and he wanted her to know that.

"I thought you were strong and smart, and I admired that about you. I still do. You worked your ass off in Harvard. You never strayed from your goals. And look where you are today. No one gave this to you. You earned everything you have right now."

Damon had her attention now. She was staring at him.

He brushed his thumb over her skin, and her breath caught.

His eyes dipped to her lips and then back to her eyes. "I think you are incredible. I like how you don't take my bullshit. You never did."

The fire in her eyes turned into something else. Something that Damon really, really liked the look of.

"I like you, Elena."

Damon inched his mouth in closer to hers. He could feel her warm breath on his lips.

Her eyes fluttered shut.

He was so close to kissing her that he could almost taste it. Taste her.

God, he wanted her. He had never wanted anyone like he wanted Elena.

And he was just about to erase the last of the space between their mouths and finally kiss her after all this time when the shrill scream of a young girl getting soaked by the shooting spring jolted them apart.

For goodness's sake.

The disappointment Damon felt was immense. But he didn't let it show on his face.

"We should probably go," Elena said, skirting past him and out of the water. She bent over and picked up her shoes.

Damon followed after her. "Elena," he firmly said her name.

Elena turned to him, and the look in her eyes was…almost pleading.

The words died on his tongue.

Damon held back the sigh he felt. "Are you hungry?" he asked instead, bending to pick up his shoes. "I was thinking we could grab some food before getting back on the sightseeing trail."

He saw relief flickered through her eyes, and honestly, he didn't know what it meant. He didn't know what any of this meant. Because he knew Elena wanted him to kiss her. He could see it in her eyes. Feel it in her body.

But he also know, if he pushed her now, she would just clam up on him.

"Sure," she answered. "I could eat something."

 _Okay, so food first and questions later_ , Damon said to himself.

And there would be questions. Because, now that he knew for sure Elena wanted him, he was not letting her get away.

They ended up in a bar that served local food, as they couldn't get a table at any of the restaurants they tried. But the menu looked good, and they served beer, so it worked for Damon.

He honestly didn't care where he was eating so long as he was with Elena.

They took a table in the back. Damon picked up the menu and browsed over it. It was all written in Thai, so Elena translated for him.

"How come you learned Thai?" Damon asked her.

Elena shrugged. "I speak Spanish, French, and Mandarin as well."

Damon stared at her, stunned. "You speak four foreign languages?"

"I'm not fully fluent in Thai. I only started learning it a few years back when I knew I would be coming here. And I guess I'm just a fast learner." She shrugged again, like it was no big deal.

"You are so amazing," Damon told her.

And the way her cheeks turned pink as a shy look crossed her face told Damon that he just did the right thing.

"Say something to me in all those languages."

"Nope." Elena shook her head, biting down on a smile.

"Come on, Elena." Damon put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "You know you want to."

Mirroring him, she put her elbows on the table and moved in close. His breath caught at her nearness.

"No, I really don't."

"Spoilsport."

Damon pouted, and Elena laughed.

"Guess I will just have to get you drunk and try again later." He grinned and sat back in his seat.

"Yeah. Good luck with that." Elena chuckled and then stood up. "I'm going to use the restroom. Back in a minute."

"You want me to order for you?"

She paused and glance down at the menu on the table. Then, she lifted her eyes to his. "Sure. I will have whatever you are having."

He watched her walk away, her body swaying as she went.

God, he wanted her so badly.

 _No sex thoughts, Salvatore._

 _You need to figure out what's going on in her mind before you can even get to sex._

Damon got out of his chair and headed over to the bar to order their food and drinks.

The bartender was busy, so he leaned his elbows on the counter and waited.

"Damon." A female voice had him turning his head.

"Charlotte. Hi." Damon smiled, shifting around to face her.

Charlotte stepped a little closer to Damon—not invading his personal space, more like she wanted to say something but didn't want everyone to overhear.

And he was right when she said in a quieter voice, "I was hoping I would see you again before I left. I wanted to thank you…for turning me down the other night." She didn't sound like she was being bitchy. She actually sounded genuine.

"Well, that's the first time a woman has ever said that to me."

Damon laughed, and so did Charlotte.

"Seriously though, I wasn't doing it for the right reasons, and even though you are gorgeous, I know that I would have regretted it in the morning if we had slept together."

"Well then, you are welcome."

Damon was taking the glory for this, but he knew that if he wasn't so hung up on Elena, he would have slept with Charlotte without a second thought.

And knowing that she would have walked away from that, feeling terrible, had Damon thinking about how many other women he had screwed who had actually regretted it.

And he was not thinking in terms of a dent on his ego. He would never want a woman to leave after having sex with him, feeling like crap because she slept with him for all the wrong reasons.

Then, Damon thought about Elena. What if they had sex and then she regretted it afterward? Honestly, it would gut him.

"How are things going with that girl who had your head all messed up?" Charlotte asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Ah. Well, nothing has changed. But I'm hoping it will soon."

Charlotte gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure it will. How could any girl resist you for too long?"

"True." Damon gave a cheeky grin.

"Well, it was good seeing you again."

He smiled. "You, too."

Charlotte leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "You are a good guy, Damon. Take care."

Then she was gone.

Damon stood there for a moment, staring at the empty spot where Charlotte just stood.

He couldn't stop thinking about what she said. About regret.

He had never thought he had any regrets. But he did.

He regretted all the time he had spent fighting with Elea. And he didn't just mean since she came back into his life. He meant, back in Harvard, too.

Things could have been so different if they had just pulled their heads out of their asses and actually spent time getting to know one another.

Because Damon was pretty sure they would have ended up together back then they we had done that.

What he meant was, together, together.

Because that was sure as hell what he wanted now.

It was not just the sex he had wanted.

It was Elena he had wanted.

How the hell was he only just realizing this now?

All of him was obsessed with her.

His head and his heart.

He was crazy about her.

She was all he had ever wanted.

Damon glanced back at their table, and he saw Elena was there. But she was not sitting, waiting for him. She was on her feet, staring at him, and she looked angry.

Damon pushed off the bar and walked over to her. "Hey, what's—"

He didn't get the rest of the words out because Elena slapped him so hard, the sound rang through the bar.

"Jesus Christ!" Damon's hand went to his stinging cheek. "What the hell was that for?"

Livid, liquid chocolate eyes met his. Elena shook her hand out, rubbing it with the other. "That," she said in a scary-ass, breathing-fire voice, "was for all the times you have made me feel like shit."

Then, she picked her bag up and stormed out of the restaurant.

But Damon was not done with her. Not by a long shot.

He caught her out on the street, grabbing hold of her arm. "Oh no, you don't. You don't get to slap me and then run off. I want to know what the hell just happened."

"Why don't you just go and find your girlfriend? Because I'm not interested."

"My girlfriend?" Damon stared at her, feeling like he had just stepped into an alternate universe. "Are you high right now?"

Elena's eyes narrowed like lasers. And his reflexes were a little faster this time, and he caught her flying hand.

"Stop hitting me," Damon hissed at her. "And start talking some sense to me, so I know what the hell is going on."

Elena tried to free her arm from his hand, but no way was he letting go so that she could try to slap him again.

"I saw you…and the redhead. She kissed you—"

"On the cheek!"

"Clearly, you know her. And we have only been here a handful of days. So, you must know her well enough for her to feel like she can kiss you on the cheek. And knowing how you get to know women…well, I shouldn't be surprised, should I? You slept with her. Then, you sweet-talked me. Oh, I admire you, Elena. You never take my bullshit. I like you. Blah, blah, blah! And I believed you! Like the gullible idiot that I am."

Elena took a deep breath before continuing, "God, I was actually going to let you kiss me! And then you are kissing her, probably making plans to meet her later! Ugh, I'm so stupid! What were you going to do, Damon? Try to get in my pants, and if you didn't succeed, go for round two with her? Or maybe you just planned on doing us both in the same night! Jesus! Why am I always so stupid when it comes to you?"

Damon grabbed her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him "I didn't sleep with Charlotte. The closest I have ever been to her was that kiss on the cheek that she gave me. I didn't kiss her; she kissed me."

"Well, she clearly felt comfortable kissing you," she snapped.

"She was thanking me." His voice was harsh, but he was frustrated. Elena just didn't seem to be hearing a word he was saying. "I met her at the hotel bar the first night we arrived here. She recently got divorced, she was feeling lonely, and she propositioned me."

Elena barked out a laugh. "Of course she did. And I bet you had a lot of fun with her."

"Just listen to me for a goddamn minute!" Damon barked at her.

Her eyes flashed with surprise, and Damon didn't like it, but he had got her attention, so he took it.

"Charlotte hit on me. I turned her down. She was just thanking me for turning her down because she knew that she had asked me for the wrong reasons, and she would have regretted it if we had slept together."

Elena's eyes widened. "You turned her down?"

"Of course I did."

"Why?"

Was she really that blind? Did she really not see that he was tied up in knots over her and that he had been ever since she came back into his life?

"Because of you!" Damon yelled, frustrated. "How the hell could I ever want anyone else when all I think about, all I want, is you?"

And then he was done talking. It was time for action.

So, he slammed his mouth down on hers, and he kissed her.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and kind reviews. I can't believe there are almost 200 reviews for "Lady Boss" and I can't tell you how excited I'm! I'm sorry for the delay in updating the chapters due to work commitment. I promise I will try to write a few more chapters in the next few days.**

 **And please check out some amazing DE writers in this website - scarlett2112, Salvatoreboys4ever, Rachel3003, TheLittle MissVixen, VitsAsh, vamphony etc.**


	15. Chapter 15

The ride back to the hotel was a steep learning curve in the art of mastering restraint.

What Damon meant was restraint from having sex with Elena right here and now.

Because there was no way he was having sex with her for the first time in the back of a limo.

Not that Damon had ever had a problem with having sex in a car before. But not with Elena. The first time with Elena had to be perfect.

And Elena was not exactly making it easy for him because she was straddling his lap, her hands in his hair, tongue in his mouth, riding his through our clothes, and Damon was dying here.

He was so desperate to be inside her, it was bordering on insanity.

He desperately wished the limo could go faster.

He was half-tempted to drop the divider and offer the driver ten thousand dollars to get them back to the hotel in half the time.

But he didn't want the driver to get a view of Elena in her current sexed-up state.

He didn't need to worry though because, a few minutes later, the limo was pulling up to a stop outside their hotel.

Damon didn't wait for the driver to get the door. He opened the limo door, grabbed hold of Elena's hand, and dragged her out of the car.

He all but ran her through the hotel reception, towards the gardens, and in the direction of their bungalows.

He was on a mission. And nothing and no one was going to stop him from getting inside her gorgeous body.

He was digging in his shorts pocket for his room key as they approached the bungalows. Elena hadn't said a word, but he could hear heavy breaths beside him.

He jammed the key in the door. Unlocked it. Flung it open. Pulled her inside. Slammed the door shut and pushed her up against it.

Then, Damon just stood there and stared at her. Taking her in for a moment.

Her flushed chest was heaving up and down. Her lips were puffy from his kisses. Her eyes were laced with desire. Her gorgeous hair was ruffled.

She looked so beautiful.

And she was all his.

Damon stepped up to her. Her breath caught.

"Hi," he said, not taking his eyes off her face.

"Hi."

Elena bit her lip, and he couldn't wait a moment longer.

His mouth crashed down on hers.

They both moaned in the absolute euphoria of their kiss.

Damon had kissed hundreds of women. Possibly thousands. And not once had he ever felt like he did when he kissed Elena.

Like his whole body was on fire. Alive with the most incredible sensations.

If kissing her felt like this, Damon could only imagine what being inside her would feel like. And the way she started attacking his clothes, he figured he was going to find out sooner than later.

Elena tugged his T-shirt up. So, he reached back, pulled it over his head, and tossed it to the floor. He kicked off his shoes. He put his hand in the pocket of his shorts, pulled out a condom, and tossed it onto the bed.

Then, he took off his shorts. Leaving only his boxers.

Damon had never exactly been the shy type.

He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and shoved them to the floor.

Then, he met Elena's eyes, which were wide.

She swallowed hard. "God, Damon…Your body is…"

"Incredible."

"I was going to say gorgeous."

Damon chuckled deep. "It's that, too."

He stepped backward and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned back on his hands. "Your turn," he told her with a lift of his chin.

He saw a flash of nerves in her eyes, but she seemed to stamp it down. She met his stare and bit her lips again.

Then kicked off her shoes and took her top off, revealing a black lacy bra.

Damn.

She was pretty.

No, correction. She was stunning.

Then, she unzipped her skirt. The sound echoed around the room. She pushed the skirt down her hips until it was pooling on the floor, revealing her matching panties.

And it was not one of Lady Boss's products.

"You are wearing the competition." Damon tilted his head to the side.

A smile edged her lips, and she lifted her shoulder. "I like to see what I'm up against."

He crooked a finger at her. "Come here."

Elena walked towards him. His heart was thumping on his chest, the closer she got to him.

When she reached him, he skilfully snapped open the front closure of her bra with one hand and watched as her breasts tumbled free. "Now we are getting somewhere."

He eased her back onto the bed and slid the straps of her bra over her shoulders. Elena shivered with anticipation. "Damon," she whispered, needing him to kiss her. Their mouths came together, and she sighed when his fingers brushed across the tips of her breasts. He lowered his head, plumped up her breast, and pulled the nipple into his mouth. With his other hand, he spread her legs and sank his hips between them.

She moaned and pressed instinctively against him as he worked his tongue across each of her breasts. She curled her fingers through his dark hair as hot flames licked at her stomach and lifted her hips eagerly when he moved his hands to her hips and slid her panties off.

"I should slow down," he said huskily as he pulled one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked gently.

"Not a chance, Salvatore."

Damon smiled. "Now I'm definitely going to slow down."

He used his fingers to part the soft, wet folds between her legs, spreading her open, then he teased her with his forefinger for what felt like eternity. As her tongue tangled with his, she gasped when he slid a finger into her and began to move it in and out in a slow, smooth rhythm.

He whispered wickedly in her ear. "I love seeing the look on your face when I touch you. Maybe I should watch you come just like this."

Dirty words. Oh, he so did not play fair. But the Damon and Elena show was a two-person show. She slid her hands over his well-muscled chest, her fingers brushing against the sprinkling of dark hair. She had two words for him. "Flip over."

His eyes flashed; apparently, he liked that idea.

He grabbed her hips and rolled them over in one smooth move. She straddled him, settling his rock-hard erection between her legs, skin against skin. She heard the low rumble in his chest.

He definitely liked this idea.

Damon closed his eyes when Elena bent down to kiss him. First his neck and throat, then she traced a path along his chest. Letting her take control had seemed like a fine idea thirty seconds ago, but now he wasn't so sure he could take too much more of her mouth on his—

Christ, she was going lower. She shifted her position, and she burned her way along his stomach with her tauntingly soft lips. He exhaled unsteadily when her tongue licked the trail of hair that started below his navel, and his cock throbbed in anticipation.

Go lower.

She wrapped her fingers around his engorged shaft and began to stroke. As she worked him with her hand, she kissed his hip, his inner thigh…and he opened his eyes to watch.

Go lower.

She gently licked the head of his erection.

She slid her tongue around the ridge, taking her time. She was tasting him, he realized, just like a wine. He groaned and tangled his fingers in her hair. "Elena…put me in your mouth."

With a coy smile, she did just that.

He growled deep in his chest as she wrapped her lips around his cock. When she brought her tongue into the mix as well, his eyes nearly rolled back in his head. He gently palmed her head, to steady himself more than anything, and watched as she slid him deeper into her mouth. She wrapped her hand around the base, stroking him in a silky, fluid motion until he was pulsing with need.

He stopped her with his hand and pinned her with his eyes when she looked up. "Come here."

He saw the answer in the devious sparkle of her dark brown eyes.

No.

While holding his gaze, she teased the head of his cock with her tongue, then slid him all the way back into her warm, wet mouth.

He nearly came right there.

Unable to resist, he watched as she continued with the delicious torture for several moments, and something about their eye-to-eye connection—and the fact that it was her—made it absolutely the hottest moment of his life. His tone was low and guttural. "Elena."

Hearing the edge to his voice, she released him from her mouth and sat up, straddling him with his cock settled right between her legs. He slid his hands up and cupped her breasts, gliding his thumbs over her nipples. "Are you ready?" he asked, thinking he might spontaneously combust if he didn't get inside her right then.

"So ready," she said in a throaty voice.

Damon grabbed the condom. He unwrapped it, placed it at the head of his cock, and took her hand, wanting her to do it. He cupped her ass as she rolled it over him. Then she leaned forward and rested her hands on his chest as he moved himself into position.

He kissed her as she lowered herself onto him, capturing her moan with his mouth as she stretched to accommodate him. When he was fully inside her, he clenched his jaw, straining against the overload of sensation. She felt so warm, so wet, and so good, that his mouth just started talking. "Ride me, Elena," he groaned. "Oh God, baby…love me."

She sat back and began sliding up and down on him. He held her hips, guiding her, moving her in a smooth, sensual rhythm, fighting the urge to go off at the sight of her naked above him in the bright light of day.

"Lean forward," he rasped. "I want one of those beautiful breasts in my mouth."

With a sharp inhale, she did as he asked. He took one of her rosy nipples into his mouth and flicked his tongue over it. Still riding him slowly, she let out a stifled cry, and he knew she was getting close. "Spread your legs wider," he whispered. When she shifted, he grabbed hold of her hips and held her steady. He took charge of their rhythm, thrusting up into her with smooth, deep strokes. She said his name again, urgently, and he knew she was at the edge. And he was right there with her.

She whimpered and closed her eyes, and that sound, plus the exquisite expression on her face, drove him right over. "Let me feel it, baby," he groaned. He kissed her as they both exploded, first her as she cried out, then he followed when he felt her tighten around him, pulling him deeper inside. They moved together, gasping and riding through the aftershocks, until she finally slowed to a stop and collapsed on his chest.

They lay there for a long time, skin to skin, hearts pounding.

After several minutes, Damon broke the silence. "Jesus, that was…"

"Incredible."

The best night of his life.

Elena was gazing up at him with those inviting brown eyes of hers, a smile edging her lips.

And he just had to kiss her again. So, he did.

He brushed his lips over hers.

He only intended for the kiss to be brief. But it quickly turned molten. He couldn't seem to get enough of her. One taste was not enough.

Damon wondered if anything would ever be enough with her.

Usually, when he was with a woman, he was getting ready to head out the door by now.

She looked concerned when he dragged himself away from her. "Are you okay?"

"Definitely. Just thinking that it's never been…" He stopped awkwardly. Man, he sucked at this.

Her expression turned tender, a look that said she got it, as she leaned forward to cover his lips with her own.

"For me, either," she whispered softly.

Damon had always thought she was pretty back in Harvard Smart and feisty. She interested him…intrigued him. And he always hated the fact that she didn't like him. That she didn't want him.

He had never pursued her. Why should he? She hated his guts. But he did know that he would have had sex with her if she had wanted to.

But, now, he had to allow himself to think, If they had gotten along in Harvard, would things have been different? Would they have been together back then? Would they still have been together now?

And, if he was being honest with himself, the answer was yes to all of it.

Being with Elena was like nothing he had ever felt before.

It was like inhaling fresh air after a lifetime of breathing smog.

Damon didn't know what this meant or what he wanted from her exactly. But he did know what he wanted at this moment in time, and it was to be with her.

He just hoped she would feel the same.

Damon brushed a kiss to her lips. "Don't go back to your room. Stay with me tonight."

Elena stared at him for a long moment, and then her eyes softened. "Okay," she said. "But we have to be up early to catch our flight."

He pulled her close, putting his arm around her. She rested her head on his chest.

"I can't believe we are here," Elena said quietly.

"I can."

"You can?" She lifted her head to look at him.

"Yeah." Damon curled his hand around her cheek, brushing his thumb over her smooth skin. "Babe, the way I wanted you…it was inevitable that you would succumb to my charm at some point."

"Asshole." She chuckled, slapping him on the chest.

"Hey, enough with the hitting, Rocky Balboa."

She bit her lip, her eyes closing. "I'm sorry…that I slapped you earlier."

"Forget it."

"No, I shouldn't have done it."

"Babe, I'm pretty sure I have deserved to be slapped on many occasions in my life. And, anyway, if you hadn't slapped me, I wouldn't have known you cared."

Her eyes opened. "Who says I care?"

"I do."

"You could be wrong."

"Am I?"

Her lips pressed together, and Damon knew Elena was not going to answer. Stubborn little thing that she was. So, he brought her mouth down to his, stopping just short of a kiss.

"I care about you," he whispered against her lips.

Her breathing hitched. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I care about you a lot. And I have never wanted anyone the way I want you."

Damon erased the distance between their mouths, and he kissed her for the hundredth time tonight, but somehow, each time felt like the first. But this kiss wasn't about sex. It was about showing her what she meant to him.

And he was only now just starting to realize the actual extent and depth of his feelings for her.

He was crazy about her.

Damon broke from her lips, and both of them were panting. Her forehead pressed down to his, her hand resting against his cheek.

"It is the same for me, too, Damon," she whispered. "Everything you said…I feel the same."

A pressure came down on his chest, but it was a good kind of pressure. The kind of pressure that he wanted to feel time and time again.

Elena moved her head to his shoulder and hooked her leg over his. Damon wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to him.

And they fell asleep exactly like this.

Wrapped up in each other. Like they always should have been.

* * *

 **Another DE chapter. Hopefully my readers will enjoy reading this chapter. Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews so far. I will try to update as soon as possible.**

 **Have a lovely weekend:)**


	16. Chapter 16

It was Friday evening, and they had just landed back in Richmond after close to a day of traveling.

They had just gotten their luggage. They had to use a cart, as, remember, Elena didn't travel light.

They exited the airport, headed over to the taxi stand, and grabbed a cab.

The driver loaded their luggage in the trunk, and Damon and Elena climbed into the back of the car.

Then, Damon realised that this was it. The trip was over. They would go back to their respective apartments.

And he didn't know where they stood.

They hadn't talked about what this meant, what was going on between them.

They didn't talk about the status of their relationship.

Were they in a relationship? Did he even want to be in a relationship?

He had never been in one before.

Damon was rich and good-looking. Why would he tie himself to one woman when he could have them all?

But, right now…he wanted to be tied to Elena. Figuratively and literally.

"I had a really good time," Elena said quietly beside him.

Damon turned his head to her. Taking her hand in his, he lifted it to his lips and pressed a kiss to it. "Me, too."

The driver climbed in the cab. "Where to, folks?"

Damon stared at Elena, his heart pounding in his chest. "Don't go home," he blurted. "Not yet. Come back to my place."

Her eyes widened. "But…my luggage…"

"Bring it with you." Damon turned in his seat to face her and took her face in his hands. "Stay the weekend. I just…I'm not ready…..." He couldn't seem to find the right words. All he knew was that he was not ready to let her go. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

A soft smile touched her lips. "I'm not ready either," she whispered.

And his chest expanded with happiness. He felt like he had just won the lottery.

He had. He had won the woman lottery.

Without taking his eyes off her, Damon told the driver the address of his apartment.

Then, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her because he had to. Because he could.

Because Elena was his.

The realization hit him like a freight truck.

Elena was his.

And she didn't even know it yet. But she was, and he had no intention of ever letting her go.

Not that he was going to kidnap her and keep her in his apartment—although that could be a good option, if she didn't feel the same way.

But, for the first time in his life, Damon wanted something real. He wanted something with her.

He wanted a relationship with Elena.

Damon Salvatore no longer wanted to be a hot bachelor anymore.

He wanted to be…

Boyfriend.

He wanted to be Elena's hot, sexy-as-hell boyfriend.

And the thought didn't make him break out in hives.

The more he thought about this relationship business, the more he saw the benefits.

Only he didn't know where her head was at with it all.

Damon knew she liked him. But a relationship? No clue.

He could just ask her, which would be the smart and sensible thing to do.

But what if she didn't feel the same?

What if all she wanted from him was sex?

She seemed to like him now, but she wasn't exactly his biggest fan in Harvard. Deep down, she might still think he was that same prick she thought he was in Harvard.

Damon knew he was awesome. But that didn't mean Elena did.

People could sleep with each other without actually liking each other. All they needed was sexual attraction.

But Elena was different.

She was never one to screw around in Harvard. Damon didn't remember her ever having a boyfriend.

So, she had to like him, right? It couldn't just be about sex.

Okay, so now, all he had to do was to spend this weekend showing her that being in a relationship with him was the best idea ever.

And he could do that.

Easy.

"Wow. Your place is great. This view…" Elena walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, pressing her fingertips to the glass as she stared out at night-time Richmond.

Damon dropped their luggage on the floor of his apartment and stretched out his back.

Elena's luggage weighed a ton. He wished he had taken the doorman's offer to help him.

His eyes focused in on her standing there, silhouette by the night, and all thoughts of heavy luggage were forgotten.

He walked towards her. Coming up behind her, he brushed her hair over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her neck.

"I like you here, in my apartment," he told her.

"I like being here."

"Shower?" he suggested.

"Definitely."

Damon took hold of her by her hand and led her towards his bathroom.

"Damn." His head thudded back against the wall of his shower.

Elena was on her knees in front of him, his cock in her mouth, and she was giving him the most spectacular blow job he had ever had.

Her hand was wrapped around the base of his cock as she bobbed her head over it, her tongue swirling and licking it like it was lollipop.

"Jesus…you are so good at this."

Elena hummed around his cock, and Damon felt it all the way to his toes.

He could feel his orgasm approaching.

"Coming," he warned her.

And, apparently, Elena wanted him to because she stayed with him, her mouth around his cock, sucking him harder, as she jacked him with her hand at the same time.

And then he was coming.

"Jesus…Elena!" he cried out. His hand gripped hold of her head, fingers tangled in her wet hair, as he shot his load in her hot mouth.

When he was done, she licked him clean. He stared down at her in amazement.

His limbs were like noodles. He felt boneless. And awesome.

Elena kissed her way up his body, licking droplets of water off his chest, until she reached his mouth. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. It was amazing, babe." Damon cupped her face in his hands, and he kissed her.

She moaned into his mouth, her hands winding into his hair, her naked body pressed to his, and it was everything Damon could ever want.

They kissed for a while until they decided they should really leave the shower. They didn't wash each other, as they agreed it would probably end up taking a whole lot longer.

Damon washed his body and hair, and he was done in three seconds flat. So, he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He brushed his teeth while Elena finished washing her hair.

He heard the water turned off, and he handed her a towel as she stepped out of his shower.

"Thanks." She squeezed the water out of her hair and then wrapped a towel around her body.

"Do you have a spare toothbrush?" Elena asked. "Mine's in my case, and I don't fancy digging it out."

"Sure." Damon got a new toothbrush out of the cupboard and handed it to her.

He left her brushing her teeth, and he went into his bedroom and slipped on some pyjama pants.

Thinking about her clothes, he got her a T-shirt of his to wear so as to save her from having to go through her case.

Elena appeared in the doorway, wearing nothing but a smile.

"God, you are hot," Damon told her.

Elena smiled shyly. It was awesome that she was confident enough to walk into his bedroom naked, but when he complimented her on her obvious hotness, she went coy.

"I got you a T-shirt of mine to wear. Save you from digging through your case for clothes." Damon walked over and handed it to her.

Elena pulled on his T-shirt. It fell to her knees.

"You hungry?" he asked her.

The last time they ate was on the plane, and that was hours ago.

"A little."

"I can order in if you want."

"Sounds great."

Elena followed Damon into the kitchen where they decided on Chinese food after looking through his many takeout menus.

He rang the order through. Then, he grabbed the a couple of beers, and they hit the couch.

Elena snuggled up into his side, and he put his arm around her.

Damon used to think it would feel weird to be with a woman like this. But being here with Elena felt as natural as breathing.

And he was finding that he liked just being with her, talking to her, spending time together as much as he liked being inside her.

Damon picked up the remote and turned the TV on. "You want to watch a movie?" he asked her.

"Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"We could go new or an old favourite," Damon said as he started to flick through Netflix. "Actually, have you seen Breaking Bad?" he asked as he came to a stop on it. "I know it's not a movie, but Enzo has been getting on me to watch it. Apparently, it is awesome."

"I have heard it's really good, too. Put it on."

Damon selected the first episode and pressed play.

Then, he kicked his feet up on the coffee table and took a swig of his beer.

Life really didn't get any better than this. He had the most amazing woman he had ever known in his arms, and he had her here, in his apartment, for the whole weekend.

Life definitely didn't get any better than this.

x x x

Damon had no clue what time it was. But, by the light creeping into the sky, he would say it was early morning.

Time seemed to have no relevance while he was here, in his apartment, with Elena. And he should be tired after the flight. But he was not. Not one little bit, and apparently, neither was Elena.

They started Breaking Bad with the intention of just watching a few episodes. But they ended up watching the whole first season. In between make-out sessions, obviously.

They had to pause the show a few times as the make-out sessions turned into sex.

Just like it did half an hour ago when the last episode finished.

So far, they had made out on his sofa, twice, including this last time. On the kitchen counter when they washed up their plates. And the living room wall on the way back from the kitchen from washing the plates.

They were lying on the sofa on their sides, facing each other, a blanket covering them. Because, of course, they were both naked.

"I don't think we should get dressed for the rest of the weekend," Damon announced.

Smiling eyes lifted to meet his. "No?"

"Nope."

"What if we order in and one of us has to go to the door?"

"Well, you are right. I'm not letting some other guy see you naked."

Elena giggled.

"What if it is a girl delivery person? I don't want her seeing you naked too."

Damon chuckled. "Okay, so if it is a dude delivering, then I will go to the door."

"And you don't mind another guy seeing you naked while he hands over his package?"

Elena grinned, and Damon had to fist-bump her for that.

"Nicely put. And not at all, babe. I played sports in high school, so I'm used to showing guys my naked body."

"Is this some new sport that I don't know about? Because, if it is, I want to hear all about it."

"You dirty little perv," Damon teased.

Elena laughed.

"I meant, in the showers. Guys aren't shy about getting naked when they have to shower together after sports. And I have great body, so I have no need to be shy."

"And a serious amount of confidence."

"Are you disputing the fact that I have a great body?"

"Never." Elena flashed her eyes at him. "So, am I to guess that I'm going to the door if a woman delivers the food?"

"Yep."

"Well, you might be comfortable with flashing your naked body to complete strangers, but I'm not so keen on showing my naked body to strange women."

"So, I'm taking it, that would also be a no to bringing the delivery girl inside, so the three of us could act out a porno fantasy of mine?"

"You ass!" Elena yelled, shoving him in the chest.

Damon grabbed her hands, forcing her to her back, and pinned them over her head. He dipped his mouth to hers and kissed her. She responded immediately, moaning softly against his lips.

He loved how responsive she was to him.

Damon lifted his mouth from hers and stared into her eyes. "I was kidding, babe. I'm not sharing you with anyone. Not even a hot delivery girl."

Elena gave him a playful scowl. He kissed her one more time and then fell back onto his side, beside her.

She turned to face him, putting her hands under her head, a thoughtful look on her face. "Have you ever had a threesome before?" she asked.

"You really want me to answer?"

She nodded.

"Yes."

Elena didn't react like he thought she would. He honestly expected her to get pissed. But she still looked thoughtful.

Then, a thought occurred to him. "Have…you?"

Her lips lifted at the corners. "You really want me to answer?" she tossed his words back at him.

Damon thought for a moment. Did he want to know? Yes, if it was with another girl and guy. No, if it was with two dudes.

He didn't know why, but the thought of Elena with two guys made him wanted to punch a hole in his wall.

"Okay, just answer me this…hypothetically, if you did have a threesome…how many vaginas attended this party for three?"

Elena pulled her hand out from under her head and held up one finger.

"Then, damn no. I don't want to know."

Elena chuckled. "Are you jealous at the thought of me being with two guys?"

"Babe, I'm jealous at the thought of you being with any other guys. Jesus. Was this at Harvard? Because I was kind of under the impression that you were…"

Her eyes narrowed a little. "What?"

"What?" Her eyes narrow a little.

"You just didn't party much. And I don't remember you having a boyfriend at college."

"I didn't. And it wasn't at Harvard."

"Thank God because there might have been a chance I knew the fuckers, and then I would have to go kick the shit out of them."

Elena smiled and pressed her hand to Damon's cheek. "You are adorable."

"I'm not adorable. I'm a total badass. We have had this talk already. Do I need to remind you?"

"Nope." She pressed her lips together, but her shoulders shook with laughter.

"You are not good for my ego, you know."

"Damon, you don't need my help with your ego. It is already bigger than the Grand Canyon."

"Say that again," Damon told her.

"What?"

"I like the way you say my name, and I want to hear you say it again."

Elena tipped her head back a touch, and feline-like eyes stared at him. "Is this for ego purposes?"

"No." Damon pushed his hand under his head, resting on it, and stared back at her. "I just like hearing you say it."

Elena wet her lips with her tongue. Then, she moved closer, pressing her hand to his cheek, her thumb dusting over his lips, her own a breath away.

"Kiss me, Damon," she whispered.

So, Damon did. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply, passionately…wildly.

When they finally broke away, they were both breathless.

Elena rested her head against his chest. Damon slid his fingers into her hair, massaging the back of her head.

She let out a sound of contentment, so he kept on massaging.

"How many girlfriends have you had?" Elena asked against his chest.

Damon stopped massaging. "Are we back to this? Because, honestly, babe, I have zero desire to know how many guys you have dated."

"Three," she said. "And we were never on it. I just wondered."

Damon let out a sigh and said, "None."

Her head came up. "None?"

"Nope."

"How? I mean, I know you played the field in Harvard—a lot of field—but I guess I just assumed you had at least one girlfriend after Harvard."

"I have never been interested in tying myself down to just one woman."

 _Until now. Until you._

"So, you have just spent the last nine years…like you did in Harvard."

"Pretty much. You are actually the first woman I have had in my apartment—aside from my mum, that is. But she doesn't count."

"Thank God."

Elena laughed, and the sound was so contagious, it had Damon laughing, too.

"I can't believe you have never brought anyone back here before." She paused and bit her lip. "So…why did you bring me here then?"

Damon shrugged. "Because I wanted to."

"Expand," she said.

And Damon knew he was not getting out of it.

He blew out a breath. "Because I wanted you here. Better?"

"A little. Why have you not brought anyone else to your apartment before?"

"Because I have never liked anyone enough to want them here."

Her eyes softened. "You like me?"

"Stop fishing for compliments. You know I like you. It is pretty damn obvious by now that I like you."

Elena was smiling. "Well, it is a good thing I like you as well."

"You like me?"

Even though Damon was, like, ninety-five percent sure that Elena liked him, he still needed to hear her say it, and this was the perfect opportunity to ask.

Elena smiled and pressed her hand to his chest. "I like you."

Damon chuckled. "Glad to hear it." He pulled her close. "Because you sure as hell didn't like me in Harvard."

Elena stiffened in his arms, and he figured this was the time to ask another question that had been bugging him.

"Why was that?"

"Why was what?" Elena asked against his chest.

Damon loosen his hold on her and tipped her chin up with his hand, bringing her eyes to his.

They were shuttered, and he didn't like it. But it didn't stop him from asking again.

"Why didn't you like me in Harvard?"

Elena sighed and opened her eyes. "Do we really need to go over the past?"

"No. But I would like to know."

"Look…I guess…I just thought you were a bit of a man-whore. And I incorrectly thought that everything came easily to you. That you didn't have to work for anything. I know different now."

"I wish you had known then."

Her brows pulled together. "Why?"

"Because then maybe we would have been doing this since Harvard."

Damon brushed his lips over hers, but she was unresponsive.

"What's wrong?"

Elena bit the inside of her cheek. "Just…don't say things you don't mean."

It was Damon's turn to frown. "Who says I don't mean it?"

"Me. Your endless stream of women in Harvard."

"Just because I slept with a lot of women in Harvard doesn't mean I would have done it if you and I had gotten together. I'm just saying that maybe things would have been different if you had given me a chance."

He saw something flashed through her eyes, but it was gone before he could get a hold of it.

"Elena?"

"What?"

"Is this our first fight?"

Elena lifted her eyes to his. Damon saw they had softened back to how he had liked them. Just like melted chocolate.

"I'm not fighting with you, Damon."

"Good." He kissed the tip of her nose. "'Because I'm not fighting with you either."

Damon pulled her head into his chest and kissed her hair.

Elena yawned, her hot breath brushing over his skin.

"Tired?" he asked her.

"Mmhmm. A little."

"You want to get in bed?"

"Soon," she murmured.

But they never did make it to his bed, as they fell asleep right here, on the sofa, in each other's arms.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support:) I can't believe there are almost 250 reviews for this DE story. I'm very, very happy and excited. So sorry about the delay in updating the chapters because of work commitment. I promise I will try to write more.**

 **Hope you guys/gals will enjoy this chapter:)**


	17. Chapter 17

Damon woke up to the sound of his cell ringing.

He was still on the sofa. Elena was plastered to his chest, like an electric blanket, but surprisingly, he liked it.

He liked having her here, sleeping with him.

It was something Damon was sure he would never want—until she came along, that was.

Elena stirred, groaning softly, as she came around.

"Was that your phone?" she murmured.

"Mmhmm."

"What time is it?"

"No clue." Damon rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Elena pushed up from him and sat up, straddling his waist. The sheet that was covering them pooled around her hips. Her hair was all mussed up from sleep. Her eyes lazily stared down at him.

She looked like a goddess.

Damon smiled at her. He loved watching her.

"I need to use the bathroom," she said. "Answer your phone."

"Go."

Elena hopped off him, and he watched her walked out of the room.

Damon sat up and got his cell from the coffee table.

Jesus, it was two in the afternoon. And the missed call was from his mother.

He was supposed to check in with his parents when he got back last night, but he had forgotten because he had other things on his mind—Elena.

Damon hit redial and put the phone to his ear.

"He is alive!" Lillian called out in a teasing voice.

"Sorry, I meant to call."

"Well, as long as you are okay. I was just about to send your father round to your place to check on you."

Good thing Damon had called then; otherwise, his father would have gotten one hell of an eyeful of his other CEO.

"I'm fine."

"How was Thailand?"

"Great."

"And Ananda?"

"Good."

"Have I gone back in time about twenty years?"

"What?"

"You and the one-worded answers. It is like having a conversation with preteen Damon."

"Funny." Damon rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I'm just tired." He rubbed his eyes again.

"Are you jet-lagged?"

"Yeah." And worn out from all the sex he had been having with Elena.

"Okay, darling. We will talk properly when we are back in the office, but I just wanted to check that everything went well with Ananda."

"Yeah, it went fine. Niran is great, really easy to get along with, which will help when dealing with him going forward. The factory setup is perfect. They have definite room for expansion, too, if needed. And the material…it's top-notch. You are going to be really happy with it."

"And Elena? How did she get on?"

Damon smiled. "She did great. Really great. Did you know that she speaks four foreign languages?"

Lillian chuckled. "Of course I knew. I saw her résumé when we approached her to hire her."

"Yeah, well, it was cool that she was able to converse with Niran and his wife in their own language. I think it really made a difference, you know."

"Yeah. Anyway, I won't keep you, honey. Go get some sleep, and I will talk to you on Monday."

"Okay, Mum."

Damon hung up and placed his cell on the table.

"So, I did great, huh?"

He turned his head to the sound of Elena's voice.

She was standing in the doorway that leads to the hallway, leaning against the frame. And she was no longer naked. She was wearing the T-shirt he gave her last night.

"You are dressed." Damon frowned. "Didn't we have a whole conversation about not wearing clothes?"

Her eyebrow lifted, and he knew she was waiting for an answer to her question.

"Yes, you did great work with Ananda, but you already knew that. Now, take the T-shirt off," he commanded.

She pushed off the doorframe and yanked the T-shirt over her head, dropping it to the floor.

"Better?" she said with a cheeky smile.

"Much." Damon swung his legs up onto the sofa and reclined back. "Come here."

He didn't think he had ever been this happy. He felt euphoric.

All he needed was her.

He knew some of the way he was feeling right now probably had to do with all the oxytocin and endorphins constantly flooding his system at the moment. But he also knew that it was because of Elena.

She was perfect.

Honestly, she was awesome.

Seriously, who knew another person could make one feel this way?

Damon couldn't believe what he had been missing out on all these years.

"You okay under there?" Elena mumbled against his chest. "I'm not squashing you, am I?"

Laughter rumbled in his chest. "You weigh about a buck twenty, babe. I bench-press twice that at the gym. So, no, you are not squashing me."

Elena peeled herself off his chest and sat up.

Damon could see her eyes carefully assessing him as she started to chew on the inside of her cheek. "Damon, I weigh one thirty-five on a good day. Is that going to be a problem?"

His brows shoved together in confusion. "No. But I'm interested to know why you think it would be."

Elena shrugged, her eyes moving from him to stare out the window.

Damon sat up and took her chin in his hand. He tugged her face back around to his.

"What's going on, babe?"

"Nothing."

She said nothing, but there was clearly something. Aside from the fact that she was practically gnawing off the inside of her cheek, she could barely look at him.

Did she have body issues?

Damon wouldn't have thought so. She hadn't tried to hide herself from him. But he definitely knew something was bothering her.

"Babe, I think you are gorgeous. Your body is off the charts." He let his eyes roamed down her, taking her in. "You are beautiful."

Her eyes lifted to his. She exhaled a slow breath, and then she leaned in and kissed him.

Damon sank his hand into her hair, fisting it as he deepened the kiss, taking control.

He dragged his mouth down her neck. "I can't get enough of you," he said against her soft skin. "It has never been this way for me before."

"Me either," she whispered.

He lifted his mouth back to hers, and their lips crashed together.

This kiss wasn't about sex.

It was about something more. Something deeper.

Elena kissed the corner of Damon's mouth, his cheek, his eyelid, his forehead, peppering him with kisses.

Then, her stomach rumbled loudly, breaking the moment.

"Damn, sorry." She laughed, pressing her hand to it.

Damon chuckled. "You hungry?"

"I guess I am."

"Let's feed you then. What are you in the mood for? We will order in."

Elena cocked a brow at him. "Don't you ever cook?"

"Not unless I have to."

"And when have you ever had to?"

Damon thought this over, tapping his finger to his lips. "Um…the 2011 blizzard. No one was delivering."

Elena rolled her eyes at him. "Come on, let's cook something. It will be fun." She climbed off him and went to retrieve his T-shirt off the floor before pulling it on.

Damon frowned. "I can think of more fun things to do."

Her hands went to her hips. "Such as?"

"Order in."

"Stop being a lazy ass. Come on," she coaxed.

Sighing, Damon got his feet.

"I'm just going to grab some pants. I will meet you in the kitchen." He slapped her bottom as he passed her, making her squeal.

Smiling all the way to his bedroom, he grabbed some clean pants and then dipped into the bathroom to give his teeth a quick brush.

When Damon got to the kitchen, Elena was sitting on the counter with a glass of water, waiting for him.

He went over to her, positioning himself between her legs. He took the glass from her and had a drink before handing it back to her.

"So, what are we making?" he asked her.

Elena put the glass down. "How do you feel about waffles?"

"It's the food of gods."

She smiled. "Well, I was thinking I could make us banana waffles with Nutella if you have any. I make the best banana waffles known to man."

"Marry me," Damon said.

Elena laughed.

But he was only half-kidding.

She was perfect.

Elena pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. Then, she hopped down off the counter, and they got to work.

Elena was just mixing up the waffle batter when his phone chimed a text.

It was Enzo in his group chat.

 _Enzo: What's the plan for tonight? We are catching up?_

Damn. It was Saturday. Boys' night. Damon didn't even think about it.

"Everything all right?" Elena asked.

Damon realised he had been staring at his phone for a while.

"Yeah, fine. It is just Enzo."

He looked back at his phone and tapped out a reply.

 _Damon: I can't make it tonight. Sorry, guys. Next week for sure._

Enzo replied a few seconds later.

 _Enzo: You'd better be either dying or seeing a goddess if you are ducking out on tonight._

Damon chuckled to himself and glanced over at Elena, who was pouring the batter onto the waffle maker.

 _Damon: No, to the first. And, yes, to the second._

 _Enzo: Are you serious? You are off the hook but you have to tell me all the details at brunch tomorrow._

Damon hesitated. He had Elena here. He didn't want to leave Elena.

"You are awfully quiet over there. Are you just pretending to text to get out of cooking?"

Damon lifted his eyes to her smiling ones.

"Me? Never. No, I'm just texting Enzo about tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

"I, um…I always have brunch with him and Alaric on Sunday."

"Okay. Cool. I can head off first thing."

"Or you can come with me."

Her eyes flashed with surprise. Honestly, Damon surprised himself by saying it. But he didn't want to take it back either. He wanted her to come with him.

"I don't want to intrude."

Putting his phone down, he walked over to her. The smell of waffles filled his nose.

"You wouldn't be intruding. You know Enzo and Alaric. And it would be good for you all to catch up. It has been a while."

Elena was staring up at him, chewing on the inside of her cheek, indecision in her eyes. "Okay. But only if it's okay with them."

Damon kissed her forehead. "It will be."

He retrieved his phone from the counter. There was a message from Alaric now that made him laugh.

 _Alaric: I'm still on for tonight. Unlike Damon, who's ditching us for a goddess_

 _Damon: Jealous? And it's funny how you have forgotten that time when you ditched us two weeks in a row because you were too busy hanging out with that dental hygienist._

 _Enzo: He's got you there, Alaric._

Alaric replied with the middle finger emoji.

Damon sniggered and then tapped out a reply.

 _Damon: I will see you both at brunch tomorrow. And I'm bringing a friend._

 _Enzo: Is it the goddess you are seeing now by any chance?_

 _Damon: Maybe._

 _Enzo: And does this goddess go by the name of Elena by any chance?_

 _Damon: Maybe._

 _Enzo: Ha! I knew it. Alaric, you owe me a grand._

 _Damon: Um, what?_

 _Alaric Ah, for goodness's sake. Damon, you just cost me a grand._

 _Damon: Does anyone want to tell me what the hell is going on?_

 _Enzo: I bet Alaric one thousand dollar that you'd nail Elena in Thailand. He said you wouldn't. Thus, he loses._

 _Damon: Who said I nailed Elena in Thailand?_

 _Alaric: You saying you didn't, Damon? Because I have got a grand riding on this._

 _Damon: I seriously can't believe you assholes bet a grand on Elena and me hooking up. You are a pair of pricks._

 _Enzo: You are surprised? This is me and Alaric you are talking about._

 _Damon: True._

 _Alaric: So…_

 _Damon: You owe the man a grand._

 _Alaric: Damn it! I will pay you tonight, Enzo._

 _Enzo: See you tomorrow, Damon. And tell Elena I said hi. Oh, wait, don't bother. I will just tell her myself at brunch tomorrow._

Damon rolled his eyes and shut off his phone.

The smell of waffles wafted under his nose, and he glanced up to see Elena walking towards him, two plates of waffles in her hands.

He gave her a guilty look. "Sorry, babe. I didn't exactly help."

"It's okay." She handed Damon his plate and headed for the kitchen door. "You can just pay me back later."

Damon laughed.

Elena was just perfect.

x x x

Elena was fidgeting beside Damon as they walked into Sunshine, the best waffle and pancake house in Richmond, to meet Enzo and Alaric.

Damon knew she was nervous. But he had no clue why.

She already knew them both, and she used to work with Alaric at Starbucks.

If anyone should be worried, it was him. Damon knew his friends would give him a hard time for bringing a girl to brunch, meaning they would pull out all the old stories to make him look like a prick in front of Elena. And that was not them being jerks. It was just a guy thing. He would do exactly the same thing to them if one of them turned up with a woman in tow.

He squeezed Elena's hand, and she looked up at him.

"Relax, babe. It's just brunch with the boys."

Elena blew out a breath. "I know. You are right. I don't know why I'm so nervous."

"Because you are adorable." He smiled at her before bringing his mouth down to her ear. "Look, we will stay an hour, max, and then we will go back to my apartment. Where I will strip off your clothes and put you in my shower. I want to try out the massage setting on you."

Damon chuckled darkly at the sharp breath Elena inhaled. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck before moving away.

He led them over to their usual table. Enzo and Alaric were already there. Enzo grinned at Damon. Then, his eyes landed on Elena, and they widened a touch. Damon knew that look on him, and he knew exactly what his friend was thinking.

Damon felt a surge of possessiveness over Elena. Something he had never felt around a woman before. Previously, he would never have cared if Enzo had thought a woman he was nailing was hot. Hell, he would have stepped aside for his friend if he had asked him.

But not for Elena.

Elena was his.

"Assholes," Damon greeted his friends with a cocky grin. "You remember Elena."

"Sure I do." Alaric got to his feet and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

And Damon wanted to punch him.

"You look great, Elena," Alaric said to her.

"Yeah, you really do." Enzo stood and kissed her cheek. As he pulls back, he met Damon's eyes and grinned.

"You have gone from pretty college chick to a hot businesswoman."

Damon gritted his teeth.

"What the hell are you doing with this asshole?" Enzo thumbed in Damon's direction.

Damon resisted flipping him off. Then, he noticed that Elena was blushing. And that, I definitely didn't like.

Possessiveness swooped in again, and Damon slung his arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

Enzo smirked, and Damon narrowed his eyes on him.

"You are right; she is too good for me. But, luckily for me, she sees something in me and wants to be with me anyway," Damon said.

Did he really say that?

He couldn't believe he actually said that!

But, the instant Elena glanced up at him, his worry disappeared. The softness in her eyes did something weird to his chest.

"I don't just see something in you, Damon. I see a lot in you." Elena smiled at him, and that weird feeling in his chest intensified.

"Jesus. Knock it off with the lovefest, will you? Or I'm going to hurl, and I haven't even had my food yet."

This time, Damon did flip Enzo off.

He pulled out a chair for Elena and then took the one beside her. He rested arm over the back of it and stroke the bare skin on her arm with his fingers because he had to touch her.

"You guys order yet?" Damon asked his friends.

"Nah, we were waiting for you," Alaric answered.

"What do you want, babe?" Damon asked Elena.

She picked up the menu and quickly glanced over it.

"I will have the Healthy Waffles and a coffee."

"Is there such a thing as Healthy Waffles?" Alaric chuckled.

"Probably not." Elena laughed. "But it definitely makes me feel better about having waffles twice in two days."

"Get used to it," Enzo said to her. "One-third of Damon's diet is waffles."

"And what are the other two-thirds?" Elena asked Enzo, smiling.

"Coffee and sex, of course." Enzo grinned, and she blushed.

A waitress came over, and they all ordered. Damon, of course, ordered his usual—Richmond's Best, which was basically waffles with everything.

The waitress had just brought their coffees over when Enzo leaned forward, elbows on the table, and put all his focus on Elena. "So, Elena, tell us about what you have been up to since Harvard."

Elena chuckled. "That's a whole lot of years' worth of stuff to tell you."

"I have got the time. In fact, I have all the time in the world for you."

Damon scowled at Enzo. "That's because you are a lazy bastard who doesn't work like the rest of us."

Enzo grinned at Damon and sat back in his chair. "True. But maybe I should work because, if all women in business look like Elena, then work is definitely a place I want to be."

"They don't all look like Elena. Believe me," Alaric imparted, chuckling. "You have met Sonja, my relationship specialist," he said to Enzo, whose face screwed up at the mention of her.

"Ugh, yeah." Enzo shuddered. "That chick has warts on warts. How the hell is she a specialist on relationships? I bet the only relationship she has ever had is with Pornhub and her vibrator."

"Jesus, dude." Damon threw a rolled-up napkin at him. "Woman at the table."

"Don't worry about me," Elena said with a smile. "I have heard worse."

Damon wanted to ask from where, but then Elena looked at Enzo and said, "And don't knock the education that Pornhub and a vibrator can give a girl. I can tell you from experience that I have learned some of my best relationship moves from Pornhub and BOB." She winked, and Damon's mouth dropped open.

Enzo laughed. Alaric nearly choked on his coffee.

Damon was staring at Elena like he was seeing her for the first time.

"Holy hell, Damon!" Enzo chortled. "You have got your hands full with this one."

Damon stared over at Elena. Her eyes were glittering with humour, and he smiled big.

"I know," Damon said. Then, he wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her close to him, planting a kiss on her forehead.

* * *

 **Now Elena met Damon's friends:) What do you gals/guys think? I really enjoy writing this DE story and I'm so glad that my readers like this story as much as I do:) Thank you for all the support and wonderful reviews.**

 **Have a great weekend ahead:)**


	18. Chapter 18

Damon and Elena were lying in his bed on their sides, facing each other. Elena's fingers were sifting through his hair, and Damon was beyond relaxed.

After they got back from brunch, they took a shower together, and Damon tried out the massage setting on her, like he had said he would.

"Brunch was fun," Elena said softly. "It was nice, seeing Alaric and Enzo again."

"Yeah. They enjoyed seeing you, too." And Damon knew that for a fact because they both texted him afterward to tell him in their own unique ways that they thought Elena was awesome and that he should bring her to brunch more often.

And he wanted to.

He wanted to bring her with him every week. He wanted to be with her at work all day and had her in his bed every night.

But he still didn't know where she was at on the subject of them. If she even saw him and her as a pair.

All Damon knew was that he was crazy about her, and he wanted her in every way possible. He was hoping that Elena wanted the same.

"I can't believe it's Sunday already." She sighed. "The weekend has gone by so fast but slow as well, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah." Damon knew exactly what she meant.

"Back to work tomorrow," Elena said. The way she said it didn't sound entirely happy, and Damon took that as a positive sign.

He knew she loved her job, so he was hoping it was because she didn't want this right here between them to end.

She started to massage his scalp with her fingers, and it felt amazing. His eyes closed at the sensation.

"Damon…"

"Elena."

"Can I talk to you about something?"

Damon opened his eyes.

"Sure." His heart started to beat a little faster in his chest. He didn't know why.

"Well…" Elena paused and chewed on the corner of her lip. "I was just wondering…"

"What?"

"What is…this?" She pointed her finger to his chest and then hers.

Damon held back the smile he felt. Because she had just shown him her hand. She was so on the same page as him that they could write a book together.

But, now that he knew that she wanted 'an us', he decided to play with her a little.

"What is what?" He glanced down at his chest, then to hers, and then back to her face.

Her brows were furrowed. "This…us…what we are doing here."

"Well, babe, it is called sex. But I thought you knew that already."

"Funny. Asshole." Elena shoved away from him, rolling onto her back.

Damon followed her, chuckling. He rolled on top of her, taking her in his arms. He stared down at her. "I'm messing with you, babe."

He brushed his lips over hers and met resistance at first, but she caved quickly.

"What do you want this to be?"

"I asked first."

"Well"—He kissed her again—"I was kind of hoping that we would keep doing what we are doing."

Elena let out a breath, her eyes going to the ceiling.

Okay, so that was not the response Damon was hoping for.

Damn. Maybe he read this wrong, and she didn't want a relationship.

"Look, Damon…"

Her eyes came back to his, but Damon couldn't read them.

"I know how you live your life, and I think I might have given you the wrong impression when I told you that I had a threesome. But I was actually in a relationship with one of the guys when that happened. It was something that my boyfriend at the time wanted to try. He was bisexual. And I wasn't really sure, but I did it for him. Anyway…it actually ended up breaking us up because it made me all paranoid that I wasn't enough for him."

There was a brief silence.

"So, what I'm trying to say is that I'm not the kind of girl who can share. And, if I'm with someone, then I'm with only him. One-night stands or weekend hook-ups aren't usually my thing, but this is you, and…" She blew out a breath. "Look, I understand if you want to leave it here. I just wanted you to know that I can't be with you while you are with other women."

Hope soared within him. His heart was doing cartwheels in his chest right now.

"Babe"—He framed her face with his hands—"I don't know if you have noticed, but I'm not exactly interested in anyone else right now."

"But what if—"

"There are no what-ifs. I'm mad about you, Elena. And I have been since the day I walked into my office and saw you sitting there. I don't and I won't ever want anyone else but you."

Elena smiled, and it was incandescent. "Really?"

Damon smiled. "Really."

"And what about work?" she asked.

"What about work?"

"Well, how is this…us being together, going to work there?"

Damon shrugged. "I figure it will be the same as before—except, now, I get to nail you on my desk anytime I want."

She laughed, shaking her head. "I meant, with everyone else."

"Well, I wasn't planning on inviting them to watch, babe."

"I mean, do you think we should keep our relationship under wraps for the time being?"

"Huh. I don't know. Maybe. Is that what you want?"

"I don't want to hide us, but then I also think maybe we should."

"Because of our seniority at the company?"

"Yeah, that, and…"

"You are worried about my parents."

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Yeah…but I also feel a bit weird about Lexi."

Damon frowned. "Lexi? Why?"

Her eyes locked on to his. "Because you slept with her."

"So?" He shrugged, and instantly, he realized it was the wrong thing to do. "Babe, there's nothing to feel weird about. What Lexi and I had…well, we didn't have anything. It was a one-off. It meant nothing."

"To you maybe. But she did try to seduce you that time in your office, and I see the way she looks at you."

"She doesn't look at me in any way."

Elena rolled her eyes at him, like he was clueless. "I'm her boss, Damon, and I don't like knowing that she knows you like I know you."

"She doesn't know me like you do."

"I meant, in the biblical sense. She has seen you naked."

"Oh, well, if it helps, I don't know what she looks like biblically. To be honest, I don't really remember anything about that night."

"It doesn't help. Not one little bit."

"Okay, so I should just keep my mouth shut about it then."

"Probably best."

Eyes on the ceiling, her mouth knitted into a tight line, she started chewing on the inside of her cheek again.

"Babe…"

"Mmhmm?"

"I'm sorry."

Elena brought her eyes back to his.

"For the Lexi thing," Damon clarified.

"It is not your fault." Elena sighed. "You couldn't have known that I was going to hire her. And it is my issue to get past."

"Well, even so, I am sorry."

She brushed her fingers over his cheek. "I'm sorry it bothers me so much."

"Babe, trust me, if this were the other way around, I would have beaten the guy to death by now."

Elena giggled, but Damon was not kidding. Just the thought of her and another guy made him wanted to commit murder.

"Damon?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Kiss me."

Damon lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her soft, unhurried.

But that didn't last long; it never did with them.

A long time later he roused reluctantly from the cocoon of warmth that enveloped them, levered himself up on his elbow, and looked down at her.

"Wow," she whispered. "That was…wow."

"Yeah." But Damon could barely speak because it was all so suddenly clear. The inability to want anyone but her. The need to be with her all the time.

"Hey, you okay?" She ran her fingers over his cheek.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure? Because you look…"

She tilted her head to the side, appraising him, and he swore, he stopped breathing because he was sure she could see it written all over his face.

"I don't know. You look different somehow."

He swallowed down. "It was good."

"Yeah?"

"It was good," he croaked out.

She laughed. "Don't go crazy there, Damon."

Yeah, because the last thing they wanted was for him to go crazy and realize something, like…oh, he didn't know…that he was madly in love with her.

Oops. Already did that.

Damn.

He was in love with Elena Gilbert.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews:) I hope you guys/gals will enjoy this chapter too.**


	19. Chapter 19

Damon had the best few weeks of his life.

He woke up beside Elena. They had breakfast together and then came to work.

Then, after work, they went home together to either his place or hers. Had dinner. Sometimes, they watched Breaking Bad. Then, they fell asleep together.

And it was awesome.

Damon didn't know it was possible to spend this much time with someone and not get bored. Let alone he felt like it was not enough.

It was like nothing would ever be enough with Elena. He would always want more.

She had become the centre of his universe. In the past Damon would feel pretty scary that he felt so strongly about a woman in such a short space of time, but he couldn't find it in him to care.

Because being in love with Elena was the best feeling in the whole world.

And, okay, maybe he hadn't told her exactly how he felt about her.

As in she didn't know that he was in love with her.

He was working up to it. He just needed to find the right moment.

Especially when he didn't know if she felt the same.

And, they were not just having sex. He made love to her. And it was amazing.

Life was amazing.

They had been making plans. Nothing major, just things they wanted to do together. And he was meeting her friends this weekend. They were going out to dinner with her best friend, Bonnie, and her husband, Jason.

Damon did remember Bonnie, but he didn't really know her that well back in Harvard. Apparently, her husband went to Harvard as well. Elena told him that was where they met. At a party.

He was just looking forward to meeting the important people in her life. Last night, she even mentioned them going to visit her parents for a weekend.

Sounded like a big step, right? But, honestly, it didn't feel like it. And it was not like she hadn't met his parents.

Everything with Elena felt natural and right. He was disgustingly and nauseatingly in love with her.

And he had never been happier.

But it was always the times when one was at his happiest that things went terribly wrong.

Because, when things went up, they always had to come down.

Damon's desk phone rang, and he picked it up.

"Damon, it's Mum"

"Hey, how are you doing? How's the cruise?"

Surprisingly, to Damon and everyone else here—because, even though they retired, they were still here all the time—Giuseppe and Lillian had booked a last-minute cruise to the Caribbean. They set sail a week ago.

He had been getting regular text updates from them, but this was the first phone call.

"Fine. Look, that's not what I'm calling about. Have you seen the business news today?"

"No. Why?"

"Because My Fair Lady just announced a new line. A plus-sized line bras."

"What? You mean…"

"Yes."

"Damn."

My Fair Lady was their biggest competition.

Damon sat forward and brought up a search engine on his computer. He typed in My Fair Lady and sure enough, in the news section, there was their announcement of a luxury line of plus-sized bras at affordable costs.

"I just…how the hell?"

"That's what your dad and I want to know. I thought Elena said that Ananda was the cheapest supplier around."

"She did. They are."

"Then, My Fair Lady would have to be making the bras at a loss, and I can't see that happening, Damon."

No, his mother was right. They wouldn't.

"Maybe they found another supplier. One that Elena didn't know about. Or they struck a deal with one of their current suppliers."

"Possibly. But, however they did it, they beat us to the punch."

"Damn. We should have announced sooner."

Damon had wanted to announce, but Elena said they should wait until production was underway.

Elena.

She was going to be devastated. This was her deal. Her idea.

"I need to call Elena," Damon told his mother. "Let her know what's happening."

"And call Niran while you are at it. See if he can push production forward. We might be able to salvage this if we can get our line out before My Fair Lady releases theirs. It is not ideal, but it's all we have got left."

"You are right. I will get on it straightaway. I will call you back when I know more."

Damon hung up and dialled straight through to Elena's office.

Lexi answered, "Hi, Damon. She is in a meeting with HR at the moment. I can get her to call you when she is done if you would like."

"How long has she been in the meeting?"

"Oh, thirty minutes or so."

Damon could get her to interrupt, but something stopped him. "Okay. Just get her to call me the second she is out."

"Will do."

He hung up and tapped his fingers on the desk.

He really did need to talk to Elena but honestly, the thought of telling her made him sick. He knew how gutted she was going to be.

Totally different circumstance because this wasn't Elena's fault, but he remembered when he screwed up the Mikaelson's deal. He felt terrible for ages afterwards.

Maybe he could call Niran himself and see how things stand with moving production forward. He could get Niran to a workable date that would bring us ahead of My Fair Lady's release. It wouldn't fix things, but at least it would cushion the blow for her.

It was morning here, so it was late in Thailand, but Damon needed to speak with him. He picked up his phone and dialled the cell number He had for Niran.

Niran answered on the fourth ring.

"Niran, It is Damon Salvatore. I'm sorry to call so late."

"It's fine! No problem at all. It is good to hear from you. I wanted to speak to you, say how sorry I was to hear that your company no longer required your order—"

Damon was stunned. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your order of silk. Elena called me, oh, a few days ago to cancel. She said that you had found a cheaper supplier and would be purchasing from them. I was very disappointed to find that out because I thought we could do great business together, but I couldn't go any lower on the price."

"She cancelled the order? Elena did?"

Damon couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes. I have it in writing, too. She emailed it to me after we talked on the telephone."

He couldn't breathe. He was having a heart attack. Or a panic attack. Or both.

"Damon? Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm still here. So, let me get this straight." He rubbed his fingers against the pressure building in his forehead. "You are telling me that Elena—my Elena, Elena Gilbert—called you up a few days ago and cancelled our order of silk. And that she confirmed it in writing on the same day."

"Yes. Was she not supposed to do that?"

Damon's jaw hardened. "No, she wasn't," he told Niran. "So, we need to reinstate the order, Niran."

And then he was going to strangle Elena after he found out what she was thinking.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Damon I sold the silk to another company. They contacted me not long after Elena cancelled the order. A few hours maybe. It was luck really."

Damon swallowed back the bile rising in his throat. "What's the name of the company you sold the silk to?"

"My Fair Lady."

Damon shoved open Elena's office door with so much force that it slammed into the wall, shaking the room.

Elena Polly, and Chester all jumped in their seats, like a shot was just fired.

"Oh my God!" Elena gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "You scared the crap out of me."

He scared her. Funny that.

Because, right now, Damon felt like killing her.

"Damon?" Her brows drew together. "Is everything all right?"

"Chester, Polly, your meeting is over. Go back to your offices." Damon didn't take his eyes off Elena.

At first, they didn't move. Then, Elena gave them a nod. They both gathered up their things and walked quickly out of her office, closing the door behind them.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, getting to her feet. "You look upset."

"I just got off the phone with Niran."

Her face dropped. "Has something happened with the silk? Is that what's wrong?"

Seriously? This was the way she was going to play it? The innocent card?

"I don't know, Elena. You would know more about that than I would. I mean, this is your deal after all."

"I haven't spoken to him recently. But, the last time I did, everything was on track. What did he say when you spoke to him?"

Damon wanted to laugh. He couldn't believe Elena could act so innocently.

"So, the last time you spoke to him, everything was still on track?"

"That's what I just said. Seriously, Damon, what is going on with you? You are acting kind of weird."

Damon did laugh this time. It sounded kind of maniacal. "Well, it is funny because that was not what Niran says your last phone call was about. According to him, you called him up a few days ago and cancelled the order."

"What?" She stepped back, her face blanching.

Oh, she was good. She was really good.

From that reaction, Damon would almost believe that was the first time she was hearing it.

"Oh, yeah, and that's not all he said. He also told me that you confirmed it with him in email. And he was kind enough to send me a copy of it." He reached into his pocket and tossed the folded-up paper version of the email that he just printed off.

"I don't understand." Elena picked the paper up, opened it, and read it, her eyes scanning the paper. "This isn't…I didn't write this email."

"Like you didn't give your idea to My Fair Lady and then pull our order from Niran, so they could take over the deal instead."

"No!" she gasped. "That doesn't even make any sense! I don't even know anyone at My Fair Lady!"

"Sure you don't."

"I don't! This was my idea!" She slammed a hand to her chest. "Why would I give it to them when I work here for you? Think logically, Damon. It doesn't make sense."

"I have thought about it. Maybe My Fair Lady had offered you more money. A better position in the company. Who the hell knows? But what I do know is, you cancelled the silk order with Ananda two days ago. And then, a few hours later, My Fair Lady contacted Niran and bought up all the silk from our cancelled order. And, just under an hour ago, they announced their brand-new range of plus-sized luxury bras at affordable prices."

"No." Her hand covered her mouth. "No."

Damon saw her hand shaking, but he couldn't register anything but the blind rage he felt at her betrayal.

"But…but they can't do that. Niran can't do that! He can't just sell our silk to them. He signed a contract with us."

"Which you cancelled," Damon scoffed.

"I didn't cancel it!"

"Just stop, Elena. Just stop. I have heard enough of the lies. I know the truth. And, now, I'm telling you that you are fired. Effective immediately. You have got ten minutes to pack your things and get out."

Her lip trembled, eyes glazing with tears.

But he didn't feel a damn thing. It was like his brain shut down all sense of feeling the second he realized that Elena had betrayed him. Leaving him with the only source of emotion that he was currently capable of feeling—anger.

He watched as she sucked in a breath. Then, she turned and walked away from him, going behind her desk. When she turned back around, her face was a mask.

"Fine," she said, her voice stiff and cold. "But expect a call from my lawyer first thing tomorrow morning for unfair dismissal."

Well, if those words weren't like gasoline to Damon's already-roaring flame.

He let out a disgusted laugh.

He couldn't believe he had fallen in love with this woman.

And still loved this woman.

"You are unbelievable." Damon took large, menacing steps towards Elena, stopping when he reached the desk. Looking across at her, he pressed his hands to the wood and leaned forward. "You sue us for unfair dismissal, and I will haul your ass into court for breach of contract. You signed a contract, Elena. And in that contract was a nondisclosure clause. Meaning you weren't allowed to tell the competition a single thing about what work you did here. The plus-sized line might have initially been your idea, but the moment you told it to me, on company time, in a meeting, it became Lady Boss's idea. And that, sweetheart, means you broke your contract. And I promise you this, by the time my lawyers are done with you, you will be back to pouring coffee in Starbucks, where you belong."

He thought she would tell him to go to hell. Yell at him. Maybe even slap him again.

But she did none of those things.

She didn't react the way he had expected her to.

Elena pressed her hands to her stomach, like she was in pain. Then, she straightened up, picked up her purse and cell phone from her desk, and walked straight past him and out of her office without saying a word.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay in updating the chapters. This week has been really busy and I have to work this weekend as well...**

 **I'm so glad my readers enjoy this Delena story. Thank you for the support and wonderful reviews:)**

 **Have a great weekend:)**


	20. Chapter 20

Misery was lodged in Damon's throat. Like his heart was trying to climb its way out of his body to escape the agony that had been wrecking him since Elena had walked out of here yesterday, and on its way up, it got stuck in his throat, choking him ever since.

He still couldn't believe Elena had betrayed him.

But it was the truth.

And he was finding it hard to except the truth.

He poured more bourbon into his glass and took a good gulp.

He heard a commotion outside his office. Then, his door was flying open, and a woman with dark, short hair was barging into his office with Rose hot on her heels.

Damon glanced at the woman. "Um, who are you?"

"I tried to stop her, Damon. But she is pretty damn fast for a woman. She even managed to get past the security."

"I'm not here for trouble." She glares at Rose over her shoulder before looking back at him. "And my name is Bonnie Bennett. I'm Elena's best friend."

At the mention of Elena, Damon felt like all the oxygen had just been sucked out of the room.

"Do you want me to toss her out on her ass?" Rose asked him.

Bonnie tossed a laugh over her shoulder. "I would like to see you try."

Rose glared at her and Bonnie didn't look away.

Damon sighed. "No. It's fine. She can stay. Can you close the door on your way out, please, Rose?"

Rose gave him a look of concern, and he gave her a nod, telling her he was fine.

She gave Bonnie one last angry stare and then walked out of Damon's office.

"What can I do for you?" Damon asked Bonnie.

"Well, first off, you can pull your head out of your ass and go apologize to my best friend for breaking her heart and also for firing her."

Damon laughed. Bonnie was straight to the point; he had got to give her that.

"And the second thing?"

"After you are done apologizing for both of those things, then you can beg her for her forgiveness and give her, her job back."

He laughed again. This Bonnie woman was a riot.

"Hang on…let me think about it." He tapped his finger to his lips. "No. And no."

"You are an idiot. You were an idiot in Harvard, and apparently, you are an even bigger one now."

"And you are a bitch. And there is the door. Don't let it hit your ass on the way out." Damon drank the rest of his bourbon and slammed the glass on his desk.

Bonnie ignored him and came over to his desk to take the seat across from him.

He blankly stared at her. "Do you have a hearing problem?"

"No, I can hear your bullshit just fine." She folded her arms over her chest. "Did you know Elena was in love with you in Harvard?"

His eyes snapped up to hers. "Elena hated me in Harvard."

Bonnie unfolded her arms and leaned forward. "Trust me, she was in love with you."

"So…why…" Damon shook his head, trying to clear his tangled thoughts.

"Why didn't she act like it? It is called self-preservation. But then you'd know a little something about that, right? Isn't that what you did yesterday when you tossed Elena out of here? Because you thought she had betrayed you? Isn't that what you are doing now while you sit here and tell yourself that you did the right thing by firing her? It is what we do when people hurt us. We go into defensive mode and protect ourselves in the only way we know how."

"You are right. People do that. But here's the thing. I never hurt Elena in Harvard. She just started hating on me for no reason."

Bonnie laughed now. "It was years ago and Elena's first term at Harvard. She had somehow landed the roommate from hell. Vicky Donovan. Ring any bells?"

Damon casted his mind back. Something was there, nagging in the back of his head, but he couldn't reach it properly to figure it out.

He shook his head. "No."

"Shame. I don't know if I would have preferred that you did remember her. And what you both did to Elena that night."

"I never did anything to Elena," he growled. He didn't like Bonnie's tone or the things she was implying.

"Elena had just finished a shift at Starbucks. She came home and couldn't get in her room. Vicky had locked her out because she was inside, hooking up with a guy. You." She pointed a finger at him. "Elena eventually got her to open up the door. But Vicky wouldn't let her in. Told her to find somewhere else to sleep. She spent the night on my dorm room floor."

"Bullshit. Elena wouldn't have stood for that. She would have told her to go to hell."

"The Elena now—yeah, you are right; she would have. The Elena back then? Not a chance. She just took it like she did."

"So, Vicky locked her out. How is that my fault?"

"It's not. But you just stood there and said nothing—besides offering to let her join you and Vicky."

Damon winced because that sounded exactly like something he would have said.

"You left Elena with nowhere to sleep, which is shitty in itself. But it was what she heard you say after the door was closed that hurt her most."

"And what did I apparently say?"

"Basically, you said she was fat."

"Bullshit. I have never called a girl fat in my life."

"'Anything over a size four, and I show her the door.'"

Her words froze in his ears. That was something he and Enzo used to say when they were younger.

But, no, he wouldn't have said that about Elena. Would he have?

"Elena wasn't fat in Harvard."

"No, she wasn't. Not if you take the actual meaning of fat into context. But she wasn't exactly thin either. And, to morons like you and your frat buddies, she wasn't a size four or below; therefore, she was fat."

He swallowed back, a sick feeling starting to swirl in his stomach.

"So, she hated me for something I said that I don't even remember saying. That's not exactly fair. And it doesn't excuse what she has done to me and my family's company."

"You are right; it wouldn't be fair. If she had actually done any of those things that you accused her of."

His jaw's hardened. "I saw the email."

"And I saw her devastation last night. Like I did all those years ago when you stood by and let a bunch of your frat buddies call her fat at a party. You did nothing, and then you went upstairs and screwed one of her friends. But I'm guessing you don't remember that either."

Damon closed his eyes and forced his mind back.

"Hannah," he said, opening his eyes.

"Hannah," Bonnie echoed. "So, you do remember."

"But how was I to know? I didn't think Elena gave a shit about me. I didn't know I was hurting her back then. But she knew exactly what she was doing when she went to My Fair Lady with her idea—our idea."

"You know, Elena wasn't going to tell me about what had happened with you and Hannah because she didn't want to cause problems between me and our so-called friend. But I know Elena, and I knew something was wrong. It took me weeks to coax it out of her."

"I'm sorry about the thing with Hannah. But that was then, and this is now. She sold us out."

"Do you really believe that she would go behind your back like that?"

"I spoke to the supplier. I saw the—"

"Email. Yeah, you said. But you know what your problem is, Damon? What your problem has always been when it comes to Elena? You never saw her all those years ago. And you are still not seeing her now."

Bonnie got up from the chair and walked towards his office door.

She pulled it open and then stopped, turning back to him. "Don't make the same mistake again with her. Because I promise you, you will regret it."

x x x

Damon was standing on the steps of Elena's building, his finger hovering over the buzzer to her apartment.

It had been a day since Bonnie came barging into his office, giving him a piece of her mind.

And he had done a lot of thinking since then. In fact, it was all he had thought about, and the conclusion he had come to was…there was no way Elena would have done this to him.

He knew her.

And Bonnie was wrong when she said he didn't see Elena. He did. He always did.

He was just an immature kid back then. He thought he knew who he was and what he wanted out of life. He accepted what Elena had told him at face value instead of pushing her for answers.

Because, if he had done that, then they wouldn't have wasted all these years by not being together.

But, if Elena had been more open with him, called him out on his behaviour, then he would have had to listen.

But she didn't. And here they were.

They were both to blame for the past. But this, right now…this was all him.

He didn't listen to her when she told him this wasn't her doing. He should have heard her and trusted her because she'd never given him a reason not to.

He should have known she wouldn't have done this.

They might have had their difficulties in the past. But one thing she never was, was cruel.

Unlike him.

Damon took a deep breath, ready to push the buzzer, when a window opened to his left, and the wrinkled, leathery face of an old lady stared back at him.

"Um, hi," he said.

"You a cold-caller?" She scowled.

"No, madam."

"You are not here to try to sell me Bibles, are you? Because, if I am not found Jesus by now, then I am not never going to."

"Um…" Damon looked down at his thousand-dollar suit, quite frankly insulted that she thought he was a Bible seller. "No, madam, I'm not here to sell Bibles."

"Then, what the hell are you doing, loitering on my doorstep?"

"I'm, uh, here to see Elena."

Her eyes narrowed on him. "Oh. You the boy who made my sweet girl Elena cry?"

The woman must be Mrs Harrison Elena mentioned about.

"Um…yes, madam."

"You here to make her cry again?"

"Not if I can help it."

She glared at him for a long moment. He was pretty sure she was trying to eviscerate him with her eyes.

Then, she disappeared inside and shut the window.

A second later, the door buzzed open.

Damon pulled open the door and headed inside. He was halfway up the stairs when a voice stopped him. He turned back.

"You make Elena cry again, and you will have me to deal with. I don't know if Elena ever told you what I did for work before I retired. But I worked in the coroner's office, so I know how to get rid of a body without leaving any trace. You just keep that in mind, boy."

Damon swallowed down. "Yes, madam."

She gave him a firm nod of her head. Then, she turned and shuffled back in her apartment.

He blew out a breath as he turned and then jogged up the stairs to Elena's apartment.

When he reached her door, a minute later, he knocked on it and waited.

He heard her soft footsteps coming up the hallway and towards the door, and his heart started to thud.

"Mrs Harrison, is that you?" she asked through the door.

Jesus, the sound of her voice…it was like a blade to his chest.

"No. It's me. Damon."

There was silence behind the door, and for a moment, Damon thought she was not going to let him in. Then, he heard the sound of a chain being removed and the door unlocking. The door opened to reveal Elena.

It had only been a few days since he last saw her, but it felt like it had been an eternity.

Her face was clean of makeup. Her eyes were puffy, like she had been crying—his fault.

He was an asshole.

Her hair was scraped back in a messy bun, and she was wearing an old Harvard sweater with black leggings.

And she was still the most beautiful woman Damon had ever seen.

How did he live his life the last nine years without her in it? Actually, scrap that. How the hell did he meet her years ago and not make her his the very instant he laid eyes on her?

He was a moron.

"What do you want?" Elena said, her voice cold.

"To talk."

"If you are here to yell at me again, then you can just turn around and leave."

"I'm not here to yell. Just talk, I promise. Can I…come in?"

She hesitated, sizing him up with her eyes. Then, she stepped back and moved aside, allowing him entry.

Damon stepped inside her apartment. As he passed her, the scent of her overwhelmed him. So much so that he had to stop himself from grabbing her, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her hair, and begging for her forgiveness.

Somehow, he didn't think that would be welcomed.

He needed to apologize first. Tell her how he felt about her. And then, after that, if she still hadn't forgiven him, get to the begging part.

He followed Elena into the living room.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked.

Even though he had been the world's biggest jerk, she was still polite enough to offer him a drink.

She was perfect.

And he was an idiot.

"Water would be great, thanks."

Damon took a seat on the sofa while he waited for her to come back.

Elena appeared a few minutes later.

"Thanks," he said when she handed him the water.

She sat in the chair across from him. He took a sip of water and then put it down on the coffee table.

He was not really a guy who would get nervous. Right now, he was nervous.

He leaned forward, arms on his thighs, and he clasped his hands together as he looked her in the face. "I'm sorry, Elena," he said. "So sorry. For everything. For a couple of days ago. For accusing you of going to My Fair Lady and for the shitty things I said. I know you didn't go to them and sell them the idea."

"How do you know?" she retorted.

"Because I know you. I let the evidence override what I had already known—that you would never do something like that to the company…to me."

"How do you know that? You have only known me for a month."

"I have known you for years. We might have spent most of those years apart, but I knew you in Harvard, and I know you now."

Elena laughed, and it sounded bitter. "You didn't know me in Harvard."

"Actually, no, you are right. I didn't know all of you in Harvard, not like I do now. Back then, I only knew what you allowed me to know. And I know that's my fault, too."

A question flickered in her eyes, so he answered, "Your friend Bonnie came to see me yesterday." He saw a multitude of emotions cross her face, one of them worry.

"What did she say to you?"

"Things I needed to hear. And some things that you should have told me."

"Such as?"

"How you had feelings for me in Harvard. How I hurt you on numerous occasions because I was a stupid, immature kid. I'm sorry for Vicky and Hanna"—she winced, and he felt sick—"and for the shitty things I did and said."

Her expression shut down. "I don't want to go over the past."

"We need to go over the past," Damon told her. "All these years, I thought you hated me back in Harvard. I thought you were judgmental, but that wasn't the case, was it? You were just protecting yourself."

Elena nodded her head.

"Talk to me," he said gently.

She closed her eyes, like she couldn't look at him and say the words. "I had a crush on you back then." She opened her eyes but didn't look at him. "And, of course, seeing you with Vicky hurt, but I can't blame you for that because you didn't know how I felt. But you said…" Her lip trembled.

"I never thought you were fat, babe."

She winced, and Damon wanted to go back in time and punch the idiot kid that he was in the face. "I know what I said, and it was a stupid thing to say. I was a dumb kid, and I hurt the one person who never deserved to be hurt."

"But it wasn't just that. You stood by while your friends said mean things about me, and you never once said anything to stop them."

"I hate that I did that. I hate that I don't even remember. I can't change the past. All I can do is try to make up for it and apologize for my behaviour back then…and now."

"You slept with my friend Hannah."

"I know." Damon scrubbed his hands over his face.

"I know you had no clue how I felt about you in Harvard, but I always felt invisible to you, and I put that down to you thinking that…I wasn't good enough for you. And I still feel the same."

"Hell no."

Damon was off the sofa, kneeling at her feet, grabbing hold of her hands. She didn't hold his back, but she didn't push him away either, so he took that as a good thing.

"I'm not good enough for you. I wasn't back then. And I'm not now. But I'm selfish enough to tell you that I'm in love with you. I love you, Elena, and I need you."

Tears were glistening in her eyes, and he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so he kept going.

"I am madly and crazy in love with you, and I need you to forgive me because I don't know how to get through another day without you."

Elena was not saying anything, and Damon had never been so afraid in his whole life.

"Elena?"

"You hurt me. And I'm not just talking about the past. That's over and done. The moment I let you kiss me in Thailand, I decided it was time to let all of that go. I thought you had changed. That's why I let myself fall for you again. But, that last day in my office…the things you said…"

"I'm so sorry," he begged. "So sorry." Panic was filling his chest, and he was ashamed to admit there were tears in his eyes.

"You thought I was capable of betraying you like that."

"I reacted badly. I know."

"That's an understatement. What you said…" Her eyes filled with tears, and Damon hated that he was the one who put them there. "I don't think I can trust you with my feelings anymore."

Elena slipped her hands from his.

The panic inside him filled to full-blown fear. "Please, baby. I messed up, and I'm so sorry. Just don't throw us away."

"I didn't. You did. A couple of days ago."

He had lost her. And he didn't know what to do.

"Please, babe. I made a mistake then. I have made too many mistakes when it comes to you. But I'm willing to do anything to fix things between us. I just…I need you. The company needs you. Neither of us will survive without you."

Elena closed her eyes and blew out a breath. "Damon…I can't come back to work…not now."

Because of him.

There was a brief silence.

"The company's yours," he finally said eventually.

"What?" Her eyes popped open. "What did you say?"

At first, Damon was shocked, too, that he said it. But then it was suddenly so clear. He knew it was the right thing to do. The way to show her that he was sorry and how much she meant to him was to give her the one thing that had always meant the most to him. Because, when he compared the two—Elena and the business—there was no comparison. She would win out every time.

"The company is yours. You can run it alone as CEO."

"Damon…no. Why would you do that?"

"Because I love you. Because the company needs you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to Lady Boss. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I know I messed us up, but I won't be the reason you walk away from the company. You are amazing at your job. Look at how much you have done in such a short time."

"And look what happened. The deal went south."

"But it can be fixed. I know it can. And, if anyone can sort it out, it is you."

Elena bit her lip and stared past him. The silence that hung between them was killing Damon.

"Maybe…but I don't want to do it alone," she said quietly.

And his heart stopped.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying"—she blew out a breath—"that you messed up. But so have I." Her eyes came to his. "I never told you back in Harvardhow I felt. Or that you hurt me. I never gave you the chance to apologize or make it right. I just shut down on you."

"If I hadn't said or done those things, then—"

Elena silenced him with her fingers to his lips. "I know. But it was in the past. I want it to stay there. And, the other day…you screwed up big time, but I can understand why you thought it was me. You should have trusted me at my word, but I understand why you jumped to the wrong conclusion."

Damon took hold of her hand and slipped her fingers across his lips. "So, you forgive me?"

She shrugged. "I guess…but you have got some serious making up to do, Damon Salvatore."

"Are we talking making up to do as co-CEOs or…me as your boyfriend?"

Elena paused a moment, lips pursed, like she was thinking it over. Then, she smiled. "Both," she said.

And his heart soared.

He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "You won't regret this. I swear."

"I'd better not. This is your last chance, Damon."

And Damon couldn't wait a second longer. He kissed her.

She immediately kissed him back, and the feeling was amazing. He never wanted to come close to losing her ever again.

"I love you," he said against her lips. "So much."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Damon jerked his head back. "You do?"

She smiled. "Of course I do, dummy."

A big smile spread across his face. "So, this making up I have got to do…I'm thinking I should get started on the boyfriend part of it."

Fire ignited in her eyes. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah." He picked her up, making her squeal, and he carried her to her bed and dropped her on it.

Then, he climbed on top of her and got to work on making it up to his girl.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for the delay in updating the chapters. This week has been extremely busy. I'm so glad that Easter is around the corner and I'm having a break from work this long weekend:)**

 **Thank you so much for the support and wonderful reviews. I really appreciate everything you guys/gals have said.**

 **Have a wonderful Easter ahead!**


	21. Chapter 21

It wasn't Damon who figured out who told My Fair Lady about their plus-sized launch and the deal with Ananda along with who made the call and sent the email to Niran, pretending to be Elena.

That was all Elena.

Anyway, it was Lexi.

She had discovered that Elena and Damon were sleeping together. They had been careful around the office, but she had found out, and she had been less than happy about it, so she had decided to get back at them by screwing up the Ananda deal. And maybe Lexi had thought that, by trying to make it out that Elena had told My Fair Lady, it would break them up and leave the way clear for herself.

When Damon and Elena confronted Lexi with their suspicions, she denied it at first. But, when Elena told her that it was her login that signed into the system a few minutes before the email was sent to Niran, using Elena's email that Lexi had access to, she folded like a deck of cards.

Turned out, Lexi's cousin worked in the marketing department at My Fair Lady, and she was looking for a foot up the career ladder, so Lexi gave her one. Two birds, one stone.

Lexi was fired on the spot and escorted from the building.

Because there was nothing to be done about the deal with Ananda, as Niran had done what he had to so that he could keep his business afloat, Lady Boss had to find another supplier.

It wasn't easy. But Damon and Elena worked all their contacts and barely slept until they found one in Bangkok. The silk was more expensive than Ananda but still cheaper than their Chinese supplier. The sales margin would be low, but they promised them early delivery, which meant they could launch before My Fair Lady.

It was a risk, but it was one that paid off.

The product flew off the shelves.

Mainly because of the design team and artist that Elena had brought in. Jo Parker was a friend of Elena. They had met at yoga class a few years ago. She was an artist, a starving artist, but her work was amazing. Elena had asked her if she would like to design the prints for the bras.

Jo had said yes, and the rest was history.

Lillian and Giuseppe were thrilled with how Damon and Elena had brought this back around and made such a success out of it when it could have just failed after My Fair Lady took their idea and supplier.

Elena said it was because of both of them, but Damon said it was all her. He couldn't have done it without her. He wouldn't be the man he was now without her.

And his parents were also thrilled that he and Elena were together. There was no keeping their relationship under wraps after the whole Lexi thing, and honestly, Damon didn't want to. He wanted everyone to know that this smart, beautiful woman was his.

Sometimes, Damon did have to wonder if that was part of his mother's plan when she brought Elena in to work at Lady Boss. Not that she didn't bring her talent to the company because she was smart as hell, and she could run it with her eyes closed. But maybe it was also to give him a counterpart—not only in business, but in his personal life, too.

In business, he was a grown-up man, but in his private life, he was still acting like a teenager.

But not now. Damon was a different man now. Because of Elena. She had changed him for the better.

He was a man in love. And love would do some crazy things to one person.

Things he wouldn't change for the world.

Life was great. He had the most incredible woman by his side at work and in his bed at night.

His parents and friends loved her. His parents, Enzo and Alaric all thought the sun shone out of Elena's ass—well, it did—but Damon did sometimes think they liked her more than him. If they did, they should. She was a far better person than he could ever hope to be.

He just thanked God that Elena saw something in him and wanted to be with him. Because, without her, the company and he would be nothing.

And Lady Boss had been selling product faster than they could supply it because of Elena's genius management, and their Bangkok supplier couldn't meet all of their demands. As Ananda only signed with My Fair Lady for the initial batch they stole from Lady Boss, they were free to sign with Lady Boss again. So, Lady Boss now had both their Bangkok supplier and Ananda for the plus-sized range. As the range had brought in new customers for their standard sizes, too, Damon felt that, soon, he was going to be asking Niran if expansion was an option.

He and Elena were back in Bangkok, staying at the Shangri-La. They were not here to work though. They were here on vacation. It had been one year since she slapped him and since he kissed her.

Damon thought it would be romantic to bring her here for their anniversary, and it turned out, he was right. When he gave her the tickets for their vacation, she had this soft look in her eyes.

And, right now, they were lying in bed together, both covered in sweat, panting to catch their breaths.

Damon thought it would be a good idea to re-enact their first night together, minus the slap across the face. So, they went to the Hot Springs and then to the same bar, except they actually ate this time. Then, they came back to the hotel, and he was undressing her before she even got the door open.

"Wow," she said.

"I know."

"It gets better every time, right? It is not just me?"

Damon turned on his side to face her and brushed her hair off her forehead. "It is not just you, babe. It is us together. We are dynamite in the sack."

Elena giggled.

And Damon smiled.

She was amazing, and she was all his.

She moved to get up, and Damon pulled her back down to him.

"Where are you going?"

"To clean up."

"We will get a shower together."

"We didn't do that on the first night."

"No, we didn't, but then I didn't ask you to move in with me either that night, so I guess we are adding a new memory to our anniversary."

Elena was staring at him, not saying anything, with a shock and dazed look in her eyes.

Damon smiled and said, "If you didn't get that the first time, that was me, Damon Salvatore, asking you, Elena Gilbert, to move in with me."

Her lips parted. She licked them. "You want me to move in with you?"

"Yes. We can live at my place or yours, or we can buy somewhere new together."

"But that means, we would be working together and living together. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Babe, I know what I want—you all the time. You are the only person I can spend this much time around, and it still doesn't feel like enough. We are practically living together already. We stay over at each other's places all the time. Question is, is it what you want?"

Damon held his breath, waiting for her answer.

Then, Elena smiled. "Of course it's what I want."

She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him, and Damon held her back just as tight.

"Best anniversary gift ever," she whispered. "But I feel bad. I didn't get you anything. You said, no gifts."

"You are my gift, babe." And she was.

"Still, I want to give you something," she murmured. She started to kiss her way down his body.

Who was Damon to argue if his girl wanted to gift him a blow job?

And, if the last blow job after he gave her the tickets to come here was anything to go by, then imagined what he was in for after asking her to move in with him.

Damon wondered what he would get when he asked her to be Mrs Salvatore.

And, yes, he said when, not if.

But that was not for now. That was for another time…in the not-so-distant future.

He would say...…a year from now.

But, right now, he was going to just enjoy the hell out of living with Elena, his partner in work and life.

Elena Gilbert, the girl who used to hate loving him.

Who now just loved him.

 _The End_

* * *

 **It is such a comfort knowing there are amazing people in my life cheering me to write DE stories. Thank you to all my readers and some wonderful friends I have met in this DE fanfiction website - all of you are amazing!**

 **Maybe this story is not the best and some of you may think I have rushed things. I will try to be better next time. It may take some time before I will post another DE story as work has been really busy lately. And I need some time to recharge my energy before I can shove myself over the start line for the next DE story.**

 **Once again, thank you for everything:)**


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